Rough and Tumble
by Overandout13
Summary: Number 13: At Shining Armor's wedding, Rainbow teaches Applejack about slow-dancing.
1. Rough and Tumble

**Rough and Tumble**

**An Appledash fic, you've been warned.**

* * *

><p>The weather captain of Ponyville pressed her hooves down on the farm pony's chest, restraining her to the ground. Whenever they're wrestling, Dash always ended up on top. It was an unwritten tradition, and if she had to guess she'd give all the credit to her wings. A million thoughts rushed through the pegasus' head, especially as her purple eyes travel up and down the dirty and wet orange coat. All anger and aggression is washed away as she realized what has just transpired, replaced by an out of place wave of happiness that has Rainbow surprisingly giddy. The rain hit Dash's back, and it felt great on her sore body.<p>

There were pieces of wood surrounding them, ranging from harmless splinters to the size of Rainbow's wing. Applejack had two frighteningly large bumps on her head and Dash had a bruise forming on her stomach, and her hindleg was unbelievably stiff. Those emerald eyes had a look of unrestrained rage, clearly prepared for another round and her hair tie had been broken during the roughhousing, leaving her mane in a messy state. The pegasus found it cute, a word she had rarely ever used, in fact this is the first time she could truly remember using it. The earth pony continued to struggle, trying to break free from under Rainbow's grip. Eventually she realized that it was absolutely useless. She had no leverage on the muddy ground, her hooves constantly slipping when she tried to find any.

"Alright, ya win Rainbow. Now would ya let me up?" Applejack pleaded, eyes tearing up, shivering from the cold. The pony's hat had been knocked off in the rumble and laid in the mud a few feet away, allowing all of her mane to get wet. Another hundred thoughts go through Rainbow's head, all of them just as dirty as the ponies themselves. Dash slowly leaned closer and closer to her friend.

Applejack, at first, was vexed. Not at Rainbow, no, this was all her fault, after all she threw the first punch. A second passed until she recognized the look on Rainbow Dash's face, something more positive than anger or hatred. It's a look of want mixed with fright. Mouth hanging half open, head tilting to the left an inch at a time, and her breath warming the blond mare's face. There's no mistaking it, no other possibility or interpretation, this was exactly how it looked. A mental image played out the next scene, with her feather winged friend inching closer and closer until they're noses were touching, and finally . . .

Endorphins were released into her bloodstream and gave her an amazing surge of excitement, it replaces her adrenaline. She can hear a rapid heartbeat in her ears, feeling it beating in her chest. Of course its been there since the fight, but in this amount of silence, with only the patter of rain making a steady noise, it's far more noticeable.

Applejack is torn, not quite willing to believe this is more than a dream. It made sense, these kinds of scenarios made up seventy five percent of her dreams and every time she'd shoot out of her bed in disappointment, awakening to a dark and empty room. She imagined lying in the barn, knocked out over one of the bumps to her head, or perhaps the fall through the now shattered wall of her barn. A small grin formed on her mouth at the image of the turquoise colored pony dreading over the injury she had caused, but it passed as immediately as the thought did. Was this the unreachable moment she never thought she'd deserve?

A series of events had led them to this, all important and contributing to each other in fantastic and mysterious ways. They're replaying in Applejack's mind as she's pushed deeper into the ground. Celestia knows she wanted Rainbow Dash to kiss her, but did it have to be in freezing rain a yard away from her house, what if Applebloom were to stumble upon this? That filly was mighty impressionable, and there were better ways to tell family one was a fillyfooler. Drops of rain fell from the pegasus' soaking, multi-colored mane and splattered on her face, increasingly exasperating the orange pon, who began to doubt this moment would move any further. "Rainbow Dash, if ya'll are gonna do somethin' then do it!" she ordered, hoping it would give Dash a desperately needed push.

And it did.

* * *

><p>The earth pony had made an effort to be around the brash pegasus more often, if only to stare at her when she wasn't looking. Not the greatest reason for hanging out with a friend, but it was a hay of a lot better than the other ones, not to mention cleaner. And either Rainbow Dash was too self-absorbed to notice, or didn't even care that a lesser pony such as Applejack had been burning a hole into her. When she heard the weather team would be busy with the scheduled downpour all day, it was a severe and all-around crushing disappointment. Constant glances at the sky showed dozens of winged ponies bringing out rain clouds, but none of them were as brightly colored or attention grabbing as Rainbow Dash.<p>

Applejack spent the afternoon working the farm with her brother, attempting to get as much of her chores done before the approaching storm came and made the fields unworkable. Among the many task there was herding the cattle into the barn, bucking apples from the trees farthest from the house, and moving all the wagons and carts into the shed. She was quite proud of how much she'd accomplished when the warning alarm began to blare. The farm pony winced, aware she had five minutes before the heavy rain would pour, while the thunder and lightning and even some strong winds had already arrived.

Leaves were blown around and a bucket was knocked over, branches were shaken in all directions, but other than that there was a relative calm creeping over the field. Applejack wasted a minute staring up at the sky, looking for her fancy-colored crush among the pure black clouds with large optimism. Her search held no results and the mare was left in the darkness of her usually bright farm. Twilight would have loved to point out the symbolism in this, but the unicorn was tucked safely inside her library, unaware of just how lonely her friend was.

"Sis, ya comin'?" Applebloom had shouted from the safety of the farm house, barely managing to hold the screen door open against the forces of the wind.

"Get back inside Applebloom," she replied, unaware until after it left her mouth of how rude it sounded. "Before the wind snatches ya up!" a perfect twist of sisterly concern kept the filly from taking offense, and saved Applejack from feeling any guilt. Applebloom obeyed and closed the door, poking her head up to the black screen to keep a frightful eye on her stubborn sibling.

The rain had begun, and it wouldn't stop until tomorrow morning. The Weather Team had completed their jobs for the day and were probably safe in their homes, most of which were in the clouds and free from the soaking, freezing rain. _Guess she just didn't have the time to stop by, or didn't wanna bother herself with it. _Applejack groaned as she sluggishly dragged herself inside, more negative thoughts plaguing her mind. She couldn't stand to be out in this rain a moment longer.

Far away from the mare and her farm was the captain of the town's weather, who had been gazing in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, itching to visit and check on Applejack, the pony she had developed rather unusual feelings for. Unfortunately her job was taking unwanted priority, with several setbacks occurring throughout the day. From on-the-job accidents to a delay in the production of rain clouds, even a near strike from the employees (whose names kept escaping her). Being the captain of Ponyville's weather team was proving extra taxing today. It would be a miracle if this storm remained on schedule anyway, considering the fast and careless effort she'd been putting into her work lately.

Sometimes she questioned what would've happened if she hadn't have dropped out of Flight School, maybe she'd have a cushier job and a cooler house, or maybe even be a member of the Wonder Bolts! Or maybe this was all just wishful thinking brought on by the stress of a grueling day's work. This wasn't to say she hadn't done anything grand with her life. It was rare that a drop-out became captain of an entire town's weather. Plus there was this great circle of friends, one of whom she thought of as absolute perfection.

Dash breathed a sigh of relief and took one final look at the clouds, inspecting each one with a low level of focus and consideration. "It'll do," she was emanating a large level of anticipation, noticed by every member of her team. She was already a good distance away from the other pegasi when she shouted, "Alright, day's over! Everypony go home!"

The fastest mare in Ponyville had her eyes set on Sweet Apple Acres, mind racing to create a believable excuse for the abrupt visit. It was much easier to think after the alarms were shut off. Rainbow was certain of two things: one, she was whistling some happy-sappy tune and two if she wasn't using her wings she'd have a skip in her step. Something about seeing Applejack made her oddly ecstatic, a feeling she had started to depend on. The cliché feelings were always present in the blond mare's presence, trouble breathing, increased heart rate that often skipped a beat or two, a desire to show off (more-so, even for Dash), and uncomfortable daydreams.

_Yada, yada, yada._

All these mushy feelings she's experiencing for the first time, they both scare and excite her. Rainbow Dash could finally see what the big deal about love was, sadly she doubted it would ever progress beyond a silent crush. Clearly Applejack had no interest in her, let alone a preference for mares. What really stings is that those jerks in Flight Academy had been right in calling her "Rainbow Dyke", not that they didn't deserve the humiliating beating she and Gilda had given them. Being punished for that fight was the final straw in a vast series of unavoidable occurrences that made dropping out such an easy choice.

Caught up in unhappier times caused her to shoot past the farm. She made a quick U-turn in the air, wings naturally fluxing with the weight of her body, and dived towards the back of the house. Branches on the hundreds of trees in Sweet Apple Acres were shaking violently back and forth, leaves and apples falling onto the ground. They're all feeble little obstacles as she zoomed by, stopping inches before the screen door. Dash took a moment to wipe the large and gleeful smile off her face before knocking. Immediately the door is yanked opened and an eager Rainbow Dash greets, "Hey ya Apple . . . bloom," she looked down in disappointment at the young filly.

"Applejack!" Shouted the equally enthusiastic Applebloom, "Oh, heya Rainbow Dash, is my big sis' with ya?"

"No, why? She's not here?" the turquoise pony looked beyond the door and into the house, seeing nothing but an empty kitchen. She could vaguely make out the creak of Granny Smith's old wooden chair rocking in the living room. A feeling of worry crept over the flyer, and it's moments like this that she regrets such a vivid imagination. A picture of her best friend, confidant, and crush freezing outside in the pouring rain with no sense of direction or means of shelter rose among her thoughts. Of course being helpless was not Applejack, so she truly had no reason to worry.

That doesn't stop her though.

"No, she went lookin' for Winona a minute ago." Dash slams her hoof roughly into her face, angered over having missed the orange coated pony by such a small amount of time. Young Applebloom took a startled half-step back, a tad frightened over the odd display. "Could ya stop the rain so Ah can go find her?"

"Sorry kiddo, I'm awesome, but even I can't stop an entire storm for just one pony. Not even one as cute as Applejack." The last part mistakenly slipped out of her thoughts and directly formed into words, it's what she got for not truly caring about what she said in the presence of fillies. Honestly it was a little relieving to speak her mind with such little concern. She'd forgotten how nice and freeing it felt.

"Ugh, pardon?" Applebloom had a clear look of confusion, stuck between whether or not she correctly heard the fancy-colored pony. A silence fell, broken once by the booming thunder from above.

"Not even one as cool as Applejack!" Dash had shouted, absolutely certain she was clever enough to outsmart the young filly.

"Oh, right. That's what Ah thought ya said." The confusion is replaced by acceptance, which allows Rainbow to breathe an ever-sweet sigh of relief. "Well, ya can come inside an' wait if ya'd like." The filly offered, stepping out of the doorway.

"No, I should go find her." And before she could see the smile on Applebloom's face, she was gone, zipping across the field. She wished she'd had a straight path to keep her speed, but instead she had to swerve through the trees and hills to avoid a collision, slowing her down. Dash made an effort of staying low to the ground, looking for any fresh hoof prints in the mud. It was, after all, how Daring-Do tracked Ahuitzotl in "_Legends of The Golden Paradise". _

Applejack, meanwhile, spent her time moving at a much, much slower speed. "Winona," she called, "Here girl!" Ever since she was a puppy, Winona had a fear of thunder, and usually she'd wait inside and hide under a table. But something was different this night, some unexplainable absence. Perhaps a rabbit or squirrel that her dog had chased after had led her too far from the farm to return. In any case, the earth pony kept an eye out for two different creatures, both of whom meant the entire world to her.

The forest surrounding the back acres of the farm was usually avoided due to its maze like trails, but Applejack had been running and playing through here since she was Applebloom's age. It was just as easy for her to navigate this unkempt area as it was her farm. If Winona had ran back her then it was only a matter of time before the work mare would find her.

Her thoughts trailed to Rainbow Dash, who she assumed was sleeping comfortably in her house above the storms. _Would it have really been so inconvenient to stop by and say hello, even for just a second? _this made the mare angry, which led to guilt. _Why should Rainbow have to come by, it's not like she has to see me every day._ A quick burst of thunder reminds her of a buzzer, indicating she had the right answer. She bangs her head on the bark of a tree, luckily a rotten and hollow one, but it still hurts.

"C'mon Winona!" She shouted, attempting to move away from thoughts of Dash. She'd much rather find her dog and get back to the barn than stand outside and freeze over warm daydreams. Quick flashes of lightning followed each other in rapid succession, and a few branches fell to the ground in front of her. She pushes her stetson low over her eyes to shield them from the rain but it really doesn't make that noticeable of a difference. She regrets bolting out of the house without thinking of her own wellbeing, especially when she pictured the cozy yellow slickers hanging in the closet waiting for just-such an emergency.

It felt like she'd been standing out in the rain for hours, calling Winona over and over again, when finally she heard a low level of whimpering coming from within a bush. Brushing some leaves aside she could see a hint of brown and white fur, undoubtedly her loyal and obedient dog quivering violently. "There ya are," she greeted, glad to have gotten at least this far. The pony is positive it'll be a challenge to get the dog moving back to the farm, even if it is such a small distance away. The rain continued to pick up until it began to feel like hail against her back. Maybe Winona had the right idea hiding in a bush, it certainly didn't seem like a bad plan from where she was standing.

Suddenly the rain stopped and Applejack is left confused and speechless, a bright circle of sunlight shining directly on her back. The confusion was increased to baffled when she realized it's just the area surrounding her and Winona. "What in the world?" She looked up into the sky, expecting the rain to suddenly pick up and blind her. Instead she saw Rainbow Dash's smiling face looking down on her, having opened the storm clouds. _Sweet Celestia, she looks absolutely amazin'!_ She mentally screamed, watching Dash dive to the ground and stop gracefully seconds before impact. Applejack smiled gleefully as they glanced at each other. "Hey sugarcube," she greeted, careful not to make it sound too endearing.

Even though it's not her special nickname, Rainbow Dash loved the way it sounded. "Hey Applejack," she made the same effort of not sounding too excited. "I saw you standing out here and thought you could use a little help." She's not sure why she lied, it's not like telling the orange coated mare she had visited the farm was going to out her feelings and preference for the same sex.

Applejack crossed her hooves, which was always a sign of either pride or humility. "Well that'd be mighty nice Rainbow," Dash is left a little dumbfounded, having expected the mare to be just the slightest bit stubborn in receiving help. Hay, she had even thought of how to convince Applejack to accept her help on the flight over. "But wouldn't ya rather bunker down in Cloudsdale until this storm's passed?"

"Nah, you're much more fun than anything in Cloudsdale." The compliment made Applejack blush, which she hid from the pegasus by looking in several different directions. "Just give me a second and I'll have a clear path from here to the farm." Rainbow got into a crouching position on her hooves and shot straight into the sky, tearing through the clouds and opening a narrow, rainless path back to Sweet Apple Acres. The orange coated mare watched in wonder as her feather winged crush swerved through the clouds with a grace she'd never seen before, that rainbow streak showing the slightest of turns the pegasus had taken.

The sunlight running through Rainbow Dash's path shines onto the wet grass, producing a dazzling little glow. Winona poked her head out of the bush, equally as confused as her owner had been. The dog quickly moved along the path, taking advantage of whatever opportunity she had to make it back home fairly dry. The farm mare made a half-hearted attempt to get the dog to return to her side, but she's appreciative of the alone time this'll give her with the returning pony. "See ya back home girl!" she called as Rainbow landed a mere inch in front of her.

Dash tried to act as natural as she could, which wasn't easy considering the wet scent of Applejack had her so excited. "You know you're soaking wet, right?" she snickered.

"Ya don't say, honestly Ah hadn't noticed." Applejack trotted past Rainbow, a little annoyed, though her temper towards the turquoise pony trailing behind her quickly eased until it vanished, as it had been doing for the past few months.

"Sorry," Dash mumbled, uncharacteristically apologizing. "Your mane, it looks nice wet," she complimented, also unlike her. "Not that it looks bad dry! It looks great dry!" Applejack blushed, staring down at the sunlit path her hooves trailed. She spotted Winona's paw prints in the mud, traveling in a near perfect straight line. "I think I'm just going to stop talking now."

"Your mane looks great too." Now it was Dash's turn to blush and look away, embarrassed by just how girly she considered it. From those compliments, the conversation became hard to maintain. Both ponies try to keep the other speaking, and at the same time try to sneak in a glance, immediately looking in the opposite direction if noticed. Ironically this made them appear uninterested in the other, humorous if it wasn't so sad.

There were some exchanges of words, all meaningless and irrelevant babble about weather and, at one point Dash could have sworn, the landscape. They reach the high hill leading straight down to the farm. The clouds Dash had parted were now sealing back up and releasing rain, washing away the hoof prints they'd left behind. Speaking of hooves, theirs were now covered in a variation of equally dry and wet mud, making each step uncomfortable.

At that moment the pegasus was scolding herself internally. _Am I some grade school pony, too scared to even talk to her? _She'd ram her face into the ground if it wasn't for Applejack's presence._ I have to do something, anything to keep this from going downhill any faster. _A thought crossed her mind as did a smile on her face. If it was anypony else there would have been second thoughts, but Rainbow never had the time for those.

She pushed her friend down the muddy hill, following close behind with a jump and a shout of joy, wings tucked close to her body. The hill, slippery with mud and very steep, made for the greatest slide this side of Ponyville. Halfway down Applejack's terror and blood-curdling scream turns into laughter. The trees beside them were nothing but blurs of indistinguishable greens and browns, speeding out of their fields of vision within seconds.

On the path they're traveling Dash is aware of an approaching crash into the side of the barn. The winged pony does her best to act as a shield for the farm mare, moving in front and willing to take the brass of the impact, which at this speed will be very unpleasant. The first thing she learned in the academy was how to crash properly and receive the minimum level of pain and injury, but she struggles to remember the method. Either she'd done it correctly or the cold had numbed her, but she can say without a doubt that even after hitting the soaking wood she was still laughing uncontrollably.

Seconds later Applejack slams into her back, clearly enjoying the thrill of the slide. Breathing heavily, sides aching, and laughing subisiding, the pegasus laid on top of the earth pony, a red mark covering one side of her face, received in the impact. Through some miracle the barn wall remains unbroken, as do all of their bones. Applejack's heart beats faster after she's aware Rainbow is lying on top of her, just as warm and cozy as she imagined. It took a large amount of effort to keep from wrapping her forelimbs around the turquoise coated chest, but she managed to survive the desire. It's easy to say this had turned into one of the better days she'd experienced. "Ya okay . . . Rainbow . . . ya smacked into that barn . . . pretty hard?" she asked between breaths.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Cold, covered in mud, but I'm fine."

"Ah know what'cha mean. Ah'm gonna need a shower ta get all this mud out." A mental image forms and it takes a great deal of will-power to keep her wings tucked in. Dash rolled off of Applejack and wiped the mud off her forehead and stomach, followed by spreading her wings and shaking back and forth in a doggish manner of drying off. The arousal disappears quickly in the cold and the wings unstiffen, immediately returning to her side.

"Well, I guess you'd better get inside and dry off." Dash helped the disappointed pony off the ground, giving a smile that revealed just how much she truly cared. Sadly Applejack assumed it was just her imagination.

"Ya can come on in if ya'd like, nice dry place to sleep for the night." She offered, though begged seemed more appropriate, and quite desperately too. Rainbow could burst through the clouds in about seven seconds and be above the rain and thunder, it was absolutely pointless to stay on the cold, soaking ground.

"Thanks, but I'd hate to bring all this mud into the house."

"Ya know Ah'm draggin' in just as much dirt as you are."

It's getting tougher to deny the invitation, but whenever she was with Applejack's family it felt like she was under a spotlight, everypony waiting for her to screw up her lines. It reminded her of a spelling bee she had done in kindergarten, minus the bright lights and microphone. _Miss Dash, could you spell 'infatuation'? _The same fear could be said about her friends, who she assumed all remained clueless. Twilight sometimes gave a knowing glance or a smile that said she knew exactly what was happening behind the façade, but she never said anything or acted like she did. "I think Granny Smith is still mad at me for crashing through the window," Dash winces at the memory of that less-than-fantastic flight.

_Always fly with your eye in the sky, _it was a nursing line taught to all kindergarten pegasi before their first takeoffs. Honestly she couldn't say focused when Applejack was around, but that was a given. And for an old pony with such a bad hip Granny Smith could be quite frightening, not much of a runner though.

"Oh, Ah understand." She truly didn't, but she thought she did. "Well it was mighty fun hangin' with ya Rainbow. Ah'll see ya tomorrow, right?" she did her best to not look too disappointed, but let enough slip through that Dash would feel some guilt over ditching her.

"Definitely, I'll help ya buck a few apples and clean the farm!" The offer to help with chores should have been a dead giveaway for Applejack, but her mind was dedicated to the belief that Rainbow only loved her as a friend.

Dash prepared for a hasty takeoff, surprise being the dominant feeling when she gets little over a foot in the air and slams into the ground, falling into, surprise, more mud. She's always been a tomcolt, and getting dirty has never been a fear, but in front of Applejack it's absolutely humiliating. She thinks of possible causes for her graceless tumble.

Too wet of wings make for flightless pegasi, another one of the first things taught to foals, one that she had forgotten. It's so stupidly simple that it adds to her embarrassment, causing her to blush and shiver and wait for Applejack's ridicule, though obviously unlike her. "Are you okay?" she asked with such concern that even Rainbow noticed. The yellow-haired mare helped the mud-covered pegasus to her hooves and guided her into the barn, bucking the door open and moving her friend inside so fast that it seemed to happen in one fluid movement. Applejack brushes most of the mud off of her crush, somewhat aroused as her hooves wiped at the turquoise pony's body. "There, all better sugarcube?"

No, it wasn't better, it was worse. She mistakes the care and affection for pity and it absolutely angers her. _I heard little fillyfooler Rainbow Dash has a crush on me. Poor girl, I feel so sorry for her, covered in mud and shivering. I wonder if she really believes I'd even swing that way. And even if I did I would never go for a pony like Dash. So pathetic! _It's grating on her nerves, the thoughts she believes are running through Applejack's mind.

"I'm fine, just get away from me!" she shoves the surprised pony back and turns away, biting her lip and fighting back tears of rage. She's never felt comfortable crying in front of anypony, and that unquestionably goes double for Applejack. Vulnerability is synonymous with helpless as love is with torture and if anything screams vulnerable it's crying. Dash speedily fixed her untidy mane and brushed the remaining mud off.

She's angry, not just over that one thought. She may have been hotheaded but even she wasn't that bad. No, this level of fury was the result of the many months she had to meticulously watch and plan what she said when speaking to Applejack, of making sure not to display any deep level of concern or fear for her safety, and the strain this had put on the relationship between them. Dash is unaware that the only other pony in the barn is deafeningly grinding her teeth, the exact same rage reaching its apex as her own sinks.

"Ya know what ya wannabe Wonderbolt, Ah was just tryin' ta help." The earth mare remarked, staring down the equally surprised Dash.

Any thought of apologizing in Rainbow Dash had instantly vanished at the Wonderbolt remark, "You know what you country bumpkin, I didn't ask for your help!" She retorted, leaning forward on her forelimbs like a bull preparing to charge.

"An' ya never will, Ah don't even know why Ah . . ." she was a millisecond away from outing herself, which might've saved them both a few harsh words and bruises. Dash takes advantage of the lull in Applejack's statement.

"You know sometimes I wish I never crashed into your poor excuse for a farm you backwater redneck hick!" Dear Celestia, she hated herself after that one. Even as she quakes with rage, that comment was so horrific and heartless that she immediately snapped out of her blinding anger and into self-blame. Applejack's mouth is wide open, practically hitting the hay covered floor. Her eyes began to water, tears threatening to fall just as much as the rain outside. "AJ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Rainbow rushed to the earth pony's side, prepared to comfort her and give another thousand apologies.

And suddenly Applejack swings a hoof into the side of her face, knocking her to the floor in shock. It certainly isn't the hardest the green-eyed beauty had ever hit her, but it was able to take every little ounce of guilt away and revive her trembling anger. "Don't ya'll ever badmouth me or my farm, ya flight school dropout!" Applejack barked it as an order and turned back to the open doors, hoping to get into the rain and use it as a mask for tears. Rainbow jumped at the mare, tackling her to the ground and laying a hoof into her back.

Applejack rose to her feet, Rainbow sitting on top of her, and quickly begins to buck, throwing her body weight around and around. It took a while, but Dash eventually lost her balance and crashed to the ground, incredibly lightheaded. Now it was the farm mare's turn to throw a few blows, which she does through a quick series of punches to the purple-eyed pony's stomach. Dash groans in discomfort and begins to blindly slam her hoof into her crush's head until she had one hell of a migraine and had to back off. Both ponies are holding back, not wanting to seriously harm the other but at the same time try and work out the aggression stored up over the past few months.

This barn was relatively small, restricting them to close quarters and not allowing much breathing room. Any chance to regain one's composure before jumping back in was immediately seized. Rainbow Dash pressed her hoof against her stomach where Applejack had hit her, wincing in pain at the bruise beginning to form there. Her vision grows more stable and she's able to return to the fight, pushing Applejack against the barn wall and slamming her head into the wingless mare's already aching own. The wall their pressed against quakes from the force. They've went from insults to indistinguishable, animalistic grunts and heavy breathing. Dash can see an imprint of her hoof on the left side of her friend's face. The blond raises her hind-leg to Dash's stomach, hitting her in the same exact place as the bruise she herself had just caused. The pegasus recoils and Applejack takes a moment to rest her sore and spinning head as well as catch her breath.

She feels like throwing up, but that doesn't slow Rainbow down any. Instantly she prepares to rush into the pony, wings spreading open in one of the subtler signs of aggression. She charges at Applejack in the blink of an eye, aware that she'll probably do herself a decent amount of harm in the impact as well but in too much of a rage to really care. While it does hurt, AJ is thankful it wasn't another attack to her head. Her green orbed eyes glaze over and she begins to cough, falling to the ground and onto cushy hay.

Rainbow made the mistake of staying too close to her fallen foe and love, certain that after tonight they will probably never see each other again. She feels like crying, praying to Celestia that this is not the last moment they'll ever have. While distracted, Applejack sweeps her forelimb at the pegasus' legs. "Can't believe ya fell for that," she exclaimed as the mare fell to the ground. For a pony with no poker face, the farm mare played a mean opossum act. A bang of thunder and some lightning come from the pitch black sky outside, that and the weak motion sensitive light being the only source of visibility.

The element of loyalty, willing to do herself harm in taking down Applejack, shoots across the wooden floor, a splinter or two finding its way past her coat and into her skin. Applejack is slammed back into the wall and is horrified to hear a quick snapping sound, Dash is too distracted to notice and rises back to her feet, pressing against the pony and the wall, which continues to snap until finally giving into the weight. They fall through, out into the cold rain, the shock bringing back some common sense to each. Applejack's hat and hair-tie break off and her mane falls apart. Tumbling over each other, Dash wraps her hooves around Applejack and waits for the rolling to cease.

Rainbow pressed her hooves down on Applejack's chest, still in the belief that this fight isn't over, at least until she truly looks at Applejack. Anger turns into passion and she slowly lowers her head, closer and closer to the crush she had just thrown a few punches at. _We really did a number on each other, _she thought, and it's this that her mind stays fixed on. Every little bruise and scratch make her hesitate and realize how much of a monster she is.

"Alright, ya win Rainbow. Now would ya let me up?" had she truly won? _Congrats Rainbow, you just threw your love through a wall after smacking her in the head a few dozen times. _What was that supposed to make her feel, pride? That vulnerability she hates to show, the tears and helplessness, it starts. Dash is fairly certain that the rain is covering for her, a nice enough excuse. "Rainbow Dash, if ya'll are gonna do somethin' then do it!" Applejack ordered.

And she did.

She backed off, away from the remains of the barn wall and the bruised mare that would never forgive her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She said, voice quivering. She closes her eyes as tight as possible and jumps into the air, forgetting yet-again that her wings were way too wet to hold her. She falls back into the mud, crying in shock and frustration. She pounds a hoof into the ground, splattering water in her face. She has no desire to pick herself up, what would the point of that be? Instead Dash just lays her head on the ground, unable to bear looking at anything around her. Applejack rolls to her hooves and slowly eases her way over to the defeated pegasus.

Disappointed? Yes, a little. Sore? Yes, all over. But this was not going to be how everything ended, how a friendship broke apart and how two ponies with so much in common, good and bad, said goodbye.

The earth pony picks Dash off the ground and starts to brush her off, much to the surprise of said pony. "Ah gotta be honest with ya, because it's probably now or never. Ah have a . . . well, Ah'm a fillyfooler." That seemed like a good place to start, "And Ah've kinda fancied you for a while now. An' my mind's ran through a whole bunch of scenarios on how Ah was gonna tell ya. Needless to say this wasn't in the top five." A halfhearted chuckle from Applejack while Rainbow Dash is left speechless, wondering if this was truly happening or if she had been knocked out in the fight.

"Anyway, Ah'd understand if this scared ya away, but Ah don't want this to be the last thing we ever do together." She starts to tear up herself and tilts her head to the barn beside them. "So Ah apologize in advance for this, but . . . " And suddenly she's pressing her lips against Dash, who's eyes widened. She backed away, unprepared for such a wondrous occurrence. This left Applejack humiliated, but she expected as much. "Right, sorry." She mumbled something under her breath. "Well, at least now Ah'll have that to remember ya b – "

Dash had recovered and was now taking her turn, though she was more forward about it, evident by her tongue finding its way into Applejack's mouth. It's not surprising in the least that she tasted like apples, in fact she's glad that part of her fantasy was accurate. The pegasus is also reminded of a CPR class she had taken back in school, thankfully the farm mare is much more contributive. They fumble their way through it, getting better with each try. Hooves run down their backs and send chills up their spines. The kiss ends, and another begins, and another, and another.

"I'm sorry . . . for calling you a hick." She apologized, pressing her head against Applejack's while searching for breath.

"No, Ah'm sorry. Ah shouldn't of thrown the first punch."

"So . . . we're good?" Rainbow asked, violet orbs looking in the direction of the barn with the broken wall. Rain had begun to blow inside, washing away most of the hay. It's so hard to believe that just a moment ago she had went as far as head-butting Applejack, and now they were lying in mud and struggling through each's first kiss.

"If ya'll forgive me,"

"Awesome, because now that we're good I have to say you're a horrible kisser." She teased.

"Please, ya couldn't french the broadside of a barn door."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Applejack smiled, glad that the relationship between them had been mended to what it'd once been. Of course it could have gone a little smoother, and she didn't imagine she'd need to be pushed through a barn wall before confessing her love. But it was more tolerable than living another day acting uninterested in Rainbow Dash, and as said pegasus is pressed against her Applejack cannot think of one regret.

Until the next morning of course, when the actions of that night caught up to them.

Rainbow Dash went into a coughing fit while dragging the large piece of wood to the barn, where her marefriend Applejack sits and impatiently taps her hooves at the ground. "Do we really have to do this today?" she asked, voice strained. The bruise on her stomach has taken a green and blackish color, but it'll fade in time.

"Yes we do, it's not mah fault ya had to ram me through the wall. So quit your whinin' and go fetch the other pieces of wood." The earth mare ordered, nose stuffed up.

"Aye-aye captain," Dash saluted. "And thanks for the cold!"

Applejack gazed around the farm for any other souls before shouting, "Ya didn't have a fear of catchin' anythin' last night when yah had yer tongue down mah throat!"

Life was good.

* * *

><p>Short drabbles to follow, thanks for reading.<p> 


	2. Ten More Minutes

**Ten More Minutes**

* * *

><p>She had work to do, bucking in the orchard, feeding the cattle, apple deliveries to the restaurants and markets in town. So why is she wasting time here, lying on her side in her bed? Maybe it's because of the pegasus sleeping peacefully behind her, hooves wrapped around Applejack's stomach. Dash tightened her grip, warm from equal part blanket and body heat. A smile stretched across her face as she relished in the calm of this moment. It's so unlike the impatient pegasus to be still, Applejack has to crane her neck back to make sure it really is her marefriend.<p>

Rainbow had recently found she enjoyed sleeping in an actual bed, as compared to the clouds she had slept on most of her life. Something she had also realized about herself was that she loved spooning, especially when she got to be the big spoon. It took little effort to just lay there and cuddle, and the scent of Applejack's mane was absolutely fantastic. Oddly enough it smelled vaguely of strawberries. Ever since they had gotten together, the pegasus had spent most nights curled up with the farm mare. In fact a rainbow colored toothbrush had somehow found its way into the bathroom.

It made Applejack smile, the thought that brave and arrogant Dash had turned into a softy that loved cuddling, and it took a large amount of restraint to keep from laughing. She was largely unaware that she was enjoying this just as much as the lightly snoring pony beside her. The curtains did a decent job of blocking the sunlight, but after time the room was slowly bathed in stronger and stronger glows. "Ah have to get up now sugarcube." She whispered, hearing moans and groans directly in her ear.

"Just ten more minutes AJ," she muttered, pulling closer to the somewhat annoyed pony. This was the third exclamation of that statement since she'd woken up, and it was starting to annoy her. When Rainbow lays her head on Applejack's own, those green orbs widen in surprise.

"Alright," she muttered, finding little harm in just a few more minutes of silence.

"Awesome," Dash continued to squeeze, drifting back into peaceful bliss. Applejack does the same, positive that the farm can wait another ten minutes . . . or maybe sixty.

No more than a hundred.

* * *

><p>I've never actually done drabbles, but this was certainly fun. Short, but fun.<p>

Also, thoughts on latest episode? I, for one, loved Pinkie's song!


	3. Realization of Intergration

**Realization of Integration**

* * *

><p>At some point it became obvious that Rainbow Dash was living with her, be it the rainbow themed toothbrush in the bathroom, the Daring-Do novel she had checked out from Twilight's library that rested on the second nightstand, or the second nightstand that had appeared out of nowhere. Admittedly she was a tad embarrassed that it had taken her so long to notice, especially when it was so obvious in retrospect. "Have . . . have ya moved in with me?" Applejack had asked one night before bed, rolling to face Dash, whose snout was buried in her book.<p>

"Yep," she turned the page, clearly more interested in the fate of the intrepid adventurer. Even after all these years and experiences she had shared with Rainbow, the blond mare was still just as surprised by her friend's straightforwardness and blunt honesty as the day they'd met. Applejack sometimes wondered if the element of honesty had chosen the wrong bearer, if it wouldn't be more comfortable with the rainbow-mane pony. Of course this was all just deviation from the problem at hoof.

"We've only been together for four months!" the earth mare bit her lip and listened in the silence, frightened that she had disturbed her sister or brother. They were not as heavy of sleepers as Granny Smith, though no living creature was comparable to that old mare, except maybe a dragon in its one thousand year napping process.

_Maybe._

"It's been six," a bookmark held her place as she laid the paperback on her nightstand, knowing that this wasn't going away anytime soon. Maybe she could figure out how Daring would escape the crashing balloon while AJ lectured her. Sadly this was assuming the pegasus could keep her mouth shut for ten minutes, which was just as likely as Celestia crashing the sun into the planet and burning the billions of poor souls that inhabited it.

Confusion, at first, before she realized Rainbow was including the awkward silent crush period. "Wait, ya can't count those months!" Applejack sat up, prepared for a verbal fight that would definitely wake the other residents of the house.

"Why not?"

"Ya can't count the days before the barn incident." Both flush with embarrassment as they remember their worst fight, and how a remarkably bad day turned into one of the best nights ever. By no means was it a sore subject, after-all they weren't the type of ponies to admit love in a field of flowers and daisies, but they were still a bit ashamed of it.

"Wasted time AJ, and what's the big deal? So I have a few of my things here, so I've spent the night for the last two weeks, you haven't complained once about me." Her voice began to alternate between squeaking and rasping, revealing just how upset she was getting. A quick clearing of her throat and the violet eyed pegasus continued. "Why are you so upset anyway? I've been trying to help out around here, to not mooch off you or your family."

It was a good enough question, Rainbow wasn't a deadbeat just mooching off her girlfriend for a place to crash. She had a well-paying job, with plenty of bits in the bank. Plus when she'd get off work she'd rush straight over and help in whatever way she could, whether it be feeding the cattle or sweeping the kitchen floor. Applejack had no actual problem with the mare sleeping so close by either. For one thing she never woke up cold in the early mornings, with the flyer's love of cuddling. Second, Rainbow had managed to avoid striking any nerves and was a surprisingly great listener. There was a third, equally important reason as to why she enjoyed the pegasus' company in bed, but she wasn't one for discussing her after-hour activities when it involved certain things.

So why was she upset? She loved Rainbow sleeping so near to her, enjoyed how every morning she'd wake up with hooves wrapped around her stomach in a tight and securing grip. "Ah'm . . . a little scared," she admitted to herself, "Ah've never actually been in a relationship before. What if we're doing somethin' wrong, movin' too fast?" Silence is a bad thing when in Rainbow's presence, and for the next minute or so it deafens the room, making this one of the most uncomfortable moments of Applejack's life.

And in a quick blur of movements a light blue hoof was behind her head, gently easing her towards Dash's muzzle. Lips lock and the blond mare is pleasantly distracted, all thoughts and worries vanishing as the kiss gets progressively deeper and loving. "Hoping that would shut you up," the pegasus uttered as they broke apart. "We'll take things slow alright?"

Applejack nodded in soundless agreement, tongue way too tired to form intelligible words. This promise to slow down was hollow, and by the following year she'd propose to the pony, but that was not the focus of this night. Dash brushed a single, red strand of hair from her eye and returned to her novel, quickly getting back into the adventure of Daring. "Ya aren't plannin' on goin' back home tonight, are ya?"

"This is my home," Rainbow explained as she turned the page.

"Why sugarcube, Ah didn't expect ya to get all mushy on me." Applejack snuggled up to Dash, staring with indifference at the back cover of the book. She desperately wanted to sleep, and now that her mind was at ease it would only be a matter of seconds.

"No seriously, my lease ran up a week ago. This is actually my home now."

So much for sleep.

* * *

><p>Well, there's another chapter. Stay tuned for a Christmas centered drabble that'll be showing up soon, admittedly a bit late.<p>

My laptop claims its 12:48 AM, and my stomach is growling. So I'm going to get some food and fall asleep to _Monk_, or _Doctor Who_, or _How I Met Your Mother. _

Again, thanks for reading.


	4. In Sickness

**In Sickness**

* * *

><p>"Alright, Ah need ya ta keep this under your tongue for about a minute." Applejack instructed, waiting for Rainbow to open her mouth. Earlier that morning, when she had awoken to the absence of hooves wrapped around her stomach, she immediately knew something was wrong. It was alarming, not waking up with Dash's body heat warming her, not that she was cold but she had fallen into the routine of the pegasus snuggling up to her and it was unnatural to wake up any other way.<p>

Imagine her reaction when she rolled over to see the trembling, pale figure of the once turquoise pony. Her coat had turned into a colorless white, deeply contradicting the polychromatic mane and cutie mark. Nose sniffling, her violet eyes were clouded and blood shot, a cold sweat covering every inch of her. This was the honest-to-goodness cold in its heaviest, purest form. Having taken care of Applebloom and occasionally Big Macintosh in their times of sickness, that same maternal instinct kicked in and she hopped out of bed, galloping into the bathroom and digging in the cabinet for the glass thermometer.

Dash complied and, uttering a sickly groan, held out her tongue. The glass tasted weird and a vile thought crossed her mind that made her spit it out in disgust. "Where has that thing been?" she questioned, finding it difficult to lift her head, like gravity itself was trying to restrain her.

"Uh, in the bathroom."

The pegasus rolled her eyes, desperately wanting to drift back into a peaceful slumber. "Who else has had their mouth on that thing?"

"It's brand spankin' new," she bit her lip and frantically tried to keep eye contact, proving just why she held the title of honesty.

"Who else?" she barked, head beginning to pound.

"Mine alright, Ah've used it once or twice." Applejack confessed, prepared for an argument Rainbow was stubborn enough to begin but didn't really have the energy for.

"Oh, alright." She shrugged and reached for the thermometer that had landed on the blanket an inch from her, sliding it back under her tongue.

"Wait, that's it?"

"Well it's not the first time we've swapped spit AJ, it'd be pretty stupid to make a big deal out of it." She grinned, the usual spark in her eye visible for a brief moment. An orange hoof is promptly pressed against her forehead, a tad roughly but it's nothing compared to the pain in her stomach and head. When the minute passed the thermometer was pulled from between her teeth. The feathered pony began coughing, each time her head bobbed forward drastically. Judging from the look on AJ's face, she could already guess what the news might pertain.

"You're stayin' in bed today," she ordered.

"But there's a fog storm scheduled, I have to get to work." She protested, voice strained and gravelly. The pegasus fought to sit up, forearms quivering under her weight.

"Bed Rainbow!" Applejack ordered, gently pushing Dash back onto the pillow. Under normal circumstances that would probably have turned her on but she could only nod in agreement. The blond mare looked at the clock on the wall above her door frame, unaware of how so much time could pass in what felt like just ten minutes.

"Now Ah need to deliver today's orders, but Ah'll be back to check on you later, okay?" she leaned forward and kissed the pegasus' forehead, brushing strands of orange, red, and yellow hair out of the her eyes. Had she any choice Applejack might've crawled into the bed and risked catching the disease if it meant she could cheer up her marefriend and keep her company, but these orders paid the bills.

"Applejack," Dash called between another coughing fit as the earth pony was walking out of the room, biting the rim of her Stetson from a hook on the wall and stylishly flipping it onto her head.

"Yes sugarcube?" she turned her head to the right, waiting for Rainbow to continue.

Not once in her life had Rainbow Dash seen somepony so concerned over her wellbeing, not enough to take her temperature or order her to stay home. It was touching and sweet and dare she say romantic, no matter how much that word made her cringe. The pale blue pony wanted to come up with some brilliant speech to show just how much this meant to her. "I . . . um . . . thanks." Admittedly not what she had in mind, but it would have to do. She was tired and felt like sleeping for . . . ever.

"Ain't nothin' RD," she exclaimed, that previously mentioned concern twinkling in her emerald eyes. "Now go back to sleep."

"I love you," Dash moaned, pulling the blanket up to her neck and rolling over. Some instinct made her reach over to the other side of the bed for Applejack, who watched in amusement from the doorway, aching to be held in the pegasus' securing grip, if only for a minute or two.

"Ah love you too." She whispered, closing the door as she left.

* * *

><p><strong>AN **

So a few things, first I assume most of you have heard about Derpy's censorship. Shame, I didn't find her offensive and I'm not sure that the message this sends is a good one. I heard people have actually been sending death threats to animators of the show over this (whether or not this is true is beyond me). But yikes, that's heavy. Either way what's done is done, but we'll always have the fandom Derpy, a clumsy but brilliant companion for the Doctor in my opinion.

Second, a Christmas theme is coming soon, I just have to reread it and make sure it runs smoothly. If anyone cares expect to see it within the week.

Third, goodbye to you Cole Phelps, we had some good times.

And finally I'm really enjoying these drabbles, it's fun to just write out an idea and not make such a large deal about it.


	5. Tradition and the Feeling of Belonging

**Traditions and the Feeling of Belonging**

* * *

><p>Dash had never been around the Apple family on Hearth's Warming, but she had always presumed it was all smiles and warm memories. Now that she officially lived on the farm, the turquoise pegasus was able to fully integrate herself into the festivities, watching with childish wonder at the odd activities surrounding her. Bright candy-colored lights adorn almost every inch of the wooden ceiling and were joyously wrapped around the tree. An old, large radio rested beside a lit fireplace, the two large antennas sticking out of the top somehow managed to capture the waves of a station and played a soft instrumental song that perfectly fit the mood of the room.<p>

"So now what?" the pegasus asked, feeling a bit out of place. Applejack gave her a quizzical stare, unsure if she had correctly heard her marefriend. She was heedless of how out of place the poor girl felt, too caught up in the night to really notice. In her defense however Dash hadn't voiced her discomfort, merely pretending to have no strong feelings one way or the other.

"Ugh, pardon?" her usual Stetson had been replaced with a festive Santa hat, the puffy white ball on the end bouncing with each tilt of her head.

The fillyfoolers observed Big Macintosh lift Applebloom onto his back, giving her a much needed boost to decorate the tree. "Well, what do you do after you're finished with the tree?"

"We take the annual Apple family Hearth Warmin' card o'course." Applejack nudged Dash and gestured to Granny Smith, who was attentively working on an old camera, which meant hitting it a few dozen times and mumbling what might've once been profanities. The winged pony had seen this model before, on a black-and-white noire film she'd stumbled upon late one night. "Don't y'know nothin' bout' Hearth's Warmin'?"

"Not really, I've seen some specials on T.V." Dash looked down at the empty mug in her hoof, trying to mask any emotion by focusing entirely on the bottom of the cup, it had varied results. While the rest of her family had been fooled, Applejack could see right through the pegasus' act. The thing nopony knew about the Rainbow was that her childhood was admittedly less than ideal. Holidays were spent alone in her room watching old Wonderbolt performances, and while the presents were nice and fancy they had little to offer as company. She had only ever told Applejack of this, and that was long after they had gotten together. Once she had even remarked that having a child was one of her parents' biggest regrets, though the earth mare had believed this to be an exaggeration, part of her good natured trust in everypony.

"Don't worry bout' it." She waved her hoof at the air, as if shooing away a fly. "Freshen your cocoa?"

"Yeah, thanks." A quick kiss on the cheek brings Dash out of her sullen mood, and before she can return the favor Applejack retreats to the kitchen, the mug handle firmly between her teeth. It made her smile, knowing just how much the orange mare hated displaying such affections in front of others, more-so when it was her family. After a delightful yet way too short period of staring at her marefriend's backside she turned back to the tree, unaware that she too had been watched. The bow-wearing pony quickly adverted her gaze before she and the pegasus could lock eyes. "Can I help ya kid?"

"Oh, sorry." The filly muttered as she jumped off of her brother's back. "Ah just never saw . . ." she bit her tongue, suddenly frightened.

"Your sister kiss a mare before?" the violet eyed pony finished, noticing young Applebloom's cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Well she's very good at it." She chuckled, immediately worried over how the Apple family would react. Looking around the room for the expressions of the others, Big Macintosh seemed moderately amused, a small grin forming on his muzzle.

"That's an Apple fer yah," Granny Smith cackled.

"Don't go tellin' her that!" Applejack shouted from the kitchen. The music changed, but for Dash most of these holiday songs just blended together. She continued to marvel at the colorful decorations. The star at the top of the pine needle tree was especially captivating, and that was before Applebloom even plugged it in. Her violet eyes mixed with the yellow glow, giving them a brownish hue.

She had seen these, in the town center, but there was something different about this one. She was a moment from figuring it out when the earth mare returned, handing her the mug as she attempted to brush the fuzzy white ball out of her eye. Dash wrapped her hoof around the cup, freeing Applejack to adjust the hat. "Thanks,"

"Feelin' better?"

"Yeah," she smiled, wide and joyous. "This is . . . well, actually not that lame." The turquoise pony shrugged and tried to look unimpressed, but that smile simply refused to leave. She decided on using her drink as a cover, unmindful of just how little time it had been given to cool. As she pressed her lips to the edge and tilted it back, the chocolaty drink flowed into her mouth and burned her tongue. The unrelenting grin is quickly replaced by wide eyes and a quick withdrawal as she spat the liquid back into the cup, or most of it.

Applejack laughed, hearty and carefree. Rainbow might have gotten defensive or annoyed had it been any other pony, but making AJ giggle had brought back her smile, even if her tongue was in pain. A nice little silence crept over the room, not the least bit uncomfortable. They watched Applebloom, who was staring holes into the presents under the tree as if she could figure out what was inside the festive wrapping paper on pure intuition and a small – or large dose of luck.

"Shake a leg younuns, time ta line up fer the picture!" Granny Smith shouted two cups of cocoa later, moving in front of the fireplace. Dash watched as Big Mac, Applejack, and Applebloom joined the green coated mare's side. She, however, remained sitting by the tree, staring in resentment at the happy family unit before her, oblivious to everpony – including herself – that she was a bit envious of all this.

That considered, it's no surprise that she's bursting with joy when Applejack returns and grabs her hoof, dragging the pegasus into the frame of the antique camera. "All of the family has ta be in the picture, no exceptions." She says, draping a forelimb over the pegasus' back and pulling her close. It's this moment that the violet eyed pony burns into her mind, the very first time she felt like she truly belonged with this loving family. In all of her life there would be few moments that could compete with this, two examples being the Apple family reunion and the wedding.

"Everpony say "sweet apples"," Applejack yelled cheerfully, wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear. It perfectly matched Rainbow's own smile. A quick thought passed through Dash's head and she ponders how such an ancient device could have a timer, or how long it'd take until the camera went off. This held no trivial purpose the next minute when a white light flashed, blinding the family of ponies. The pegasus grew nauseous as spots danced before her dilated eyes.

The rest of the night moved uneventfully, a board game that was missing more than half the pieces was played, or at least they attempted to play it, another of the numerous traditions. Applebloom consistently asked if she could open a present, almost every five minutes in what was an eerie display of clockwork. Granny Smith was resilient, simply rocking back and forth in her wooden chair and shaking her head. The filly was first to drift off and sluggishly moved up the stairs, moaning over the lack of a new toy to play with for the night. They all had a nice little laugh over that, admiring the large fortitude of one so small.

Big Mac soon followed, and finally Granny, leaving the two lovers alone in the living room. Dash remained silent as Applejack spoke of past Hearth Warmings. She wouldn't admit this, but if envy was truly the worst sin then she'd have to find a confessional soon. "So all Hearth Warming nights go this way, with decorations and pictures and games?" the pegasus asked, head resting on the earth mare's lap as she lied on the couch. The tree had been unplugged and the fire was beginning to die, leaving them in a dim and romantic atmosphere. The feathered pony, who was on her tenth shot of cocoa, was planning on moving this into the bedroom soon so they could have their own, more intimate little party.

"Ever since Ah was a filly," Applejack declared, stroking the top of Rainbow's head. "There was a close call once, after my mom an' dad . . . y'know." The orange coated mare could feel a warm hoof wrap around her own, she didn't need to look to see that the turquoise matched her own color quite nicely. "But Granny Smith absolutely refused ta let us sulk, 'specially with it being Applebloom's first Hearth's Warmin' an' all."

"Did that work?"

"Yep, we laughed . . . an' cried. Wasn't exactly a barrel of fun, but it took our minds off of things."

"Good,"

"An' what about you? Ya haven't talked ta your parents in what? Six years? Ya never thought of just celebratin' on your own?"

"That sounds like the lamest thing ever, celebrating alone."

"Friends neither?"

"Last thing I want is for my friends to know how lonely my holidays are. You're my best friend and I couldn't even tell you until after I moved in!"

"Alright, no need gettin' your feathers riled. From now on this is where you'll spend every Hearth's Warmin', deal?"

"Deal, but if I'm really a part of this then can I add another tradition to the list?" Rainbow sat up and turned to face Applejack, a devious little spark in her eyes.

"Sure, what'd ya have in mind?"

"Well, it involves you and me and isn't exactly family friendly." A flirtatious, breathy tone and the farm pony knew exactly what the pegasus had in mind. The tomcoltish Dash would only ever use that voice for one purpose.

"By any chance would this put us on the naughty list?" she struggled to match the playfulness of her marefriend's voice, but it was that failed attempt that Rainbow found adorable and exhilarating. Already she can feel her wings spreading out to her sides, growing stiff and sensitive.

"Maybe not at first, but by tomorrow morning – " and suddenly Applejack is pulling her up the stairs to their bedroom, nibbling on her lips every two or three steps.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I can't write sex, but I can imply it. Plus this is rated T and I plan to get the most out of that.

As some of you may know I have a tendency to rant in these last few words, well . . . that isn't changing anytime soon.

_Uncharted _is one of my favorite video game franchises, true story. Also can anyone explain to me how hooves work in this show? I'm not an idiot mind you but I noticed that in _A Friend in Deed,_ during Pinkie's song, Applebloom was holding one of the handles of a jump rope. Was I right in saying Dash had wrapped her hoof around the mug, or would held have sufficed?

Oh, and finally _Puss in Boots _is a great movie and I'm a bit disappointed that it lost the Oscar for best animated feature. I liked it more than the last two Shrek films anyway. Well _Rango _was a good movie too, so congratulations on the win.


	6. The Company They Keep

**The Company They Keep**

* * *

><p>It's a tradition to meet up at the library once a month for game night, had been since Twilight arrived in Ponyville. Through some miracle these nights had always gone off nicely, even if a certain pegasus and earth mare had an overly competitive edge. After said ponies had gotten together things had relatively stayed the same, the only actual difference being that when the game demanded teams Applejack and Rainbow Dash would play with each other rather than against. A different game was chosen each night by the pony whose turn had come up, and it had finally worked its way back to the polychromatic pegasus.<p>

"I love poker," Dash swept another few chips into her area of the table. These little tokens had formed a mountain next to the feathered pony, but they held no actual value besides making the game seem more realistic. "Alright, who's next?"

"Ah don't know how, but you're cheatin'!" Applejack accused, eyeing her marefriend with suspicion. She held her cards close to her chest, certain that the luck would turn in her favor soon, all she had to do was be patient.

"You're only mad because you don't have a poker face, Element of Honesty." Rainbow jested with a devious little grin, not a single shred of worry in her mind. She was a pro at this game and would often win most of her old pal Gilda's money when they played at the academy. In fact those bits paid for food every Friday night.

"Oh Rainbow, be a dear and tell me what these cards make?" Rarity asked, interrupting the two. The white unicorn pointed her horn to Dash and the cards followed, all glowing a bluish hue as they danced in front of the pegasus.

Dash did her best to keep her mouth from dropping to the ground at the sight of the royal flush, instead feigning a look of mild interest and a shrug. "It's junk Rarity."

"Uh, I'm sorry but this . . . isn't that much fun." Fluttershy squeaked, looking around the table at the fellow ponies that were losing to Rainbow.

"Are you kidding, this is great!" said the overeager Pinkie, a large smile on her face as she peered at her cards. "Twilight, do you have any twos?"

"Wrong game Pinkie Pie," Twilight mumbled, barely acknowledging the cards in front of her table. Her normally straight and tidy mane had begun to frizz under the stress of not understanding the aspect of this game, an out of place feeling for the unicorn.

"Actually I'd like to play that one," the timid pegasus spoke.

"Sorry Fluttershy, we can play whatever you want when it's your turn." Dash explained, pushing a few chips into the center of the table.

"I say, what's that term you've been using all night Fluttershy?" Rarity questioned, hoof rubbing at her chin.

"Fold," the yellow mare replied.

"I fold." The unicorn laughed excitedly as her cards hit the table. "Oh, what fun!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack just shook their heads, "Hey Applejack, show me your cards and I'll wear that saddle in bed tonight, that really girly and tight one." The pegasus offered, making the farm mare blush.

"Not in front of everypony Rainbow," she hissed as eyes fell upon them, except for Twilight's, which were glued to the current passage of her book. "There's a time an' a place for that." Applejack held her cards under the table and tilted them so the pegasus could get a good look.

"Atta girl," she loved that irritated look on her marefriend's face, especially the reddish tone it had taken. The orange earth mare pulled her hat over her eyes and took a deep breath, resisting the urge to tackle Dash to the ground. Of course being unable to see meant that she had no way of preparing for the kiss Rainbow was planting on her, or at least she hoped it was Rainbow.

Rarity tried to focus on the deck of cards in the near-center of the table, straightening them for what had to be the twelve time that night. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, watched with interest as the two ponies continued the display of affection. Twilight was the only one legitimately distracted and the game stayed at a standstill until the two broke apart for air, a strand of saliva hanging from each of their lips. "Why is it every game night you two can't keep your hooves off each other?" the fashion focused unicorn questioned.

"Hey, we try. Not my fault AJ is so much fun to touch, you should see us in –" Applejack shoved her hat in Rainbow's face before the pegasus could finish whatever crude statement she knew the winged wonder was making.

"Sorry girls, Rainbow doesn't know the meanin' of personal." Pinkie, Rarity, and Twilight laughed as the game continued. By the end of the night Dash had piles of chips that were threatening to tumble off the table, which she was very proud of. She was actually disappointed when Twilight moved her and the other ponies out the front door before she could see them fall.

"See you tomorrow," she yawned as Applejack and Rainbow Dash trotted out the library towards home. The sun had gone down since they started the game, replaced by a crescent moon and a thousand little stars keeping it company as they bathed the town in their soft light.

"You weren't kiddin' 'bout the saddle, were ya?" the farm mare shivered as the breeze picked up.

"Of course I wasn't," the violet-eyed pegasus draped a wing over her marefriend's back, pulling her close and sharing what little warmth she had to offer. Applejack, still cold, was nonetheless grateful for the kind gesture and kissed Dash's cheek in return. "But I'm not wearing it for more than five minutes, so get your fill of it." They laughed, walking over the wooden bridge leading to the farm.

Twilight and Rarity watched from the library door, "Well they certainly seem happy." Twilight muttered as the silhouettes disappeared into the shadows.

"Yes, I suppose they do. Still, it's a little odd seeing two ponies so quarrelsome in such a . . . relationship." The white unicorn tilted her head in wonderment.

"Maybe that's why it works, Applejack is the only pony I've ever known that can keep up with Rainbow Dash."

"Possibly," Rarity mulled the thought over, before turning for home. "I'll see you tomorrow Twilight."

"Goodnight Rarity." Game night had always been the same, with the exception of an increase in touching between two certain ponies. Twilight closed the door and sluggishly carried herself up the steps to her room, snickering at the idea of Rainbow Dash in a frilly and tight saddle.

* * *

><p>Just something to get into the mind of how the other ponies worked and acted, which I believe I did a decent enough job of doing. Have never actually wrote for the other three.<p>

I loved Twilight's episode, it was enjoyable to watch her slowly turn into her future self. Plus Spike had the right idea in leaving things up to future Spike to take care of. I've seen so many pictures of _Terminator _references, and a few _Metal Gear Solid _ones. But where are my _Back to the Future _comic parodies?

Speaking of which, I must return to the adventures of Marty Mcfly. Hope you enjoyed and have a great spring break, I know I will.

**Update: **At the request of a friend, who wanted a humorous fic involving some sexual activity between the two as a birthday present, I must warn you of the next drabble. It involves minor graphic material that some readers may not enjoy. If the concept offends you than you might want to wait until the next update.


	7. Plum Tuckered

**Plum Tuckered**

**A present for a friend's birthday, this is the most graphical thing I've ever written. Obviously I couldn't deny her request, but I refused to write borderline clop material. I don't believe it's bad enough to warrant an M rating, I worked to make sure that there were no overly detailed moments. If you do not believe in sexual activity amongst ponies or find it offensive than you may just want to skip this chapter and wait for a friendlier update. **

**Anypony still reading?**

* * *

><p>Applejack had a nasty habit of overworking herself, it was a trait most of the Apple family had. This, mixed with a stubborn sense of pride, made for a dangerous combination. She would awake early in the morning and work late into the evening. It had always taken its toll on the poor pony on more then one occasion. It didn't really happen that often though, only when Big Macintosh wasn't able to help. Not to say it hadn't interrupted any special moments, in fact Dash could always recall one particular instant when her marefriend's fatigue had gotten in the way of their activities.<p>

It had been a scorcher of a day, with Celestia's sun blaring down on Ponyville. A low of at least ninety degrees and no sign of Big Macintosh, this was when Applejack's pigheadedness was truly showing. Her brother and grandmother were both stuck in bed over the flu, leaving Applejack, Applebloom, and the pegasus without any ailments. Rainbow, who felt guilty over the fact that it had been her weather team to create the heat wave, had constantly begged Applejack to stay inside for the day. "No doin' Rainbow, if Big Mac can't work today than Ah sure as hay can. 'Sides this ain't the worst condition Ah've ever worked under."

That did little to reassure the pegasus, whose more compassionate side had emerged. "But –"

"Listen sugarcube, it's sweet that your worried an' all, but Ah can handle this. Y'know Ah can, right?"

"Yeah . . ." it killed her to admit it, but if anypony could do work in such heat it was AJ.

"Now Ah can't work with ya breathin' down my neck, weren't you supposed to be readin' with Twi today?"

"It can wait," Dash assured.

"No, it can't. Go Rainbow!" she ordered, arousing the pegasus.

"Fine!" the winged mare shouted right back. "How did I end up with such a stubborn marefriend?"

"Because nopony else would date an egghead like you." She teased, kissing Dash's cheek.

"Whatever," she waved her hoof in the air before trotting off down the road to Ponyville.

* * *

><p>"Actually I enjoyed that one," Twilight said, walking alongside Rainbow Dash.<p>

"Why, I mean it just wasn't Daring. Seriously, aliens?" the pegasus rolled her eyes at the notion of somepony actually liking that horrific book.

"To each their own Rainbow," they stopped outside the fence to the farm, watching the sun creep lower and lower behind the hill. "Say hi to Applejack for me," the unicorn turned back the way she came.

"You're not coming with?"

"I wish, but thanks to a certain somepony I have to go clean the popcorn, chips, and soda spills off the library carpet."

Needless to say Dash got the hint. "Why not have Spike do it?"

"Because after last time he made me promise he would never have to clean up after you again." Twilight walked away, chuckling over how clever her assistant had been. Rainbow laughed, jumping over the gate and marching up to the front door of the house, whistling a tune she couldn't put a name to.

No sign of Applejack in the orchard gave her a small smile. _Maybe she went inside the second I left! _She hoped, crossing the feathers on her wings. "Applejack, I'm home!" she shouted gleefully, the thought of Applejack having remained in the air conditioned house all day brightening up . . . everything. Dash had expected the farm mare to greet her with open hooves, and maybe an open mouth. She did receive a greeting, but it was from the younger of the Apple family sisters.

"Hey'ya Rainbow Dash," Applebloom walked into the kitchen, her bow burnt to a blackened crisp that could crumble at any given moment. "Mah sis is still outside, but Ah'm sure she'll be in soon, it's getting' too dark to buck apples."

"Uh . . ." Dash stared at the well-done fabric on the filly's head, debating on whether or not to ask. It immediately struck her that she didn't have to ask, Occam's razor said that the simplest answer was the right one and in this case it couldn't be truer. "Any luck finding your cutie mark?"

"Nah, but Ah'm sure we'll have them by tomorrow."

"Didn't get any arson charges pressed against ya today?"

"No ma'am."

"Good," Dash ruffled the filly's mane, finding her guess that the bow would crumble to be correct. They both stared at it for a long period of time, waiting for the other to clean it up. Eventually Applejack trudged her way inside, giving the winged pony a reasonable excuse to move away from the mess. "Hey AJ," she welcomed, surprised over Applejack's lack of disdain at the mess in the near-center of the kitchen. She followed the sweaty mare into the living room, leaving Applebloom to take care of what used to be her bow. She could hear an exasperated sigh from back in the kitchen, followed by some incoherent mumbling.

Applejack crashed onto the couch, pulling off her soaked hat and dropping it onto the floor. "Ah can't tell ya how great it is to be back in air conditionin'." She groaned, wiping at her forehead. "How was your day?" she asked, eyes straining to remain open and focused.

"Fun, Twilight says hi." Rainbow brushed dirt off of Applejack's back.

"Hi Twilight," she began waving to the fireplace, her voice rising and lowering in pitch with each syllable.

"Uh, right. It's been a long day hasn't it?"

"Ah'm just kiddin', no need ta threat." A halfhearted giggle from Rainbow Dash that did little to cheer her up, Applejack rose to a sitting position.

"Just relax for a minute, alright?"

"Ah'm fine Dash, a little sore but it's nothi . . ." the earth mare had fallen asleep, jerking awake within ten seconds.

"You can barely stay awake!" Dash knew if anything could bring Applejack out of her drowsiness it'd be a good ole fashioned argument.

"If y'all say so," worry increased. Applejack had never been too tired to argue! Clearly that tactic wasn't going to do any good. Using a last resort, Rainbow pointed her hoof at the stairs.

"Bed. Now." She commanded, staring down the work mare. This seemed to be the final straw because suddenly a second wind of energy flooded Applejack, allowing her to jump off the couch and walk back into the kitchen were Applebloom was busy cleaning. The young filly had the handle of a dust pan in her mouth and was sweeping up the ashes of fabric, looking out of the corner of her eye as the two mares entered the room.

"For the last time I am not tired, so quit askin' and help me start dinner!" for some reason Applejack had a much better voice for giving orders, that's not to say Dash would listen. Noticing Applebloom, the wingless mare took a deep breath and calmed down. "Please," her pupils trailed to the filly, hoping Rainbow would get the message.

She did, "Sure, but if you need to sit down for a minute than do, alright?"

"Fine." A decent amount of tension filled the air as they went on with their evening. Applejack nodded off at least a dozen times in the first hour, violently shaking awake a moment later. Oddly she was fine after that, no hints of weariness whatsoever. Before long they were sitting at the table, listening as Applebloom recounted the events of her day.

"So Sweetie Bell put out the fire?" the pegasus questioned, biting into the steamed broccoli.

"Yep," a large smile grew on her face, proud that she and her friends hadn't burnt down the forest.

"So fire jugglin' ain't your special talents than?"

"Nope," the smile vanished. The two grown mares shared a laugh at the look of humiliation, disregarding Applebloom's blushing.

"I'm sure you'll get the next one, but make sure you try something a little safer." Rainbow advised.

"Would you?" Applebloom asked.

"No . . ." she shrugged, snickering.

"Alright, off ta bed before RD gives ya any bad ideas for tomorrow." Applejack commanded, grinning at Dash from across the small table. Besides a single groan, Applebloom listened to her sister without complaint, placing her dish in the sink and trotting up the stairs to her bedroom. "Y'know, Ah love that filly but Ah just wish she'd let her cutie mark happen."

"Which is worse, stubbornness or dedication?" Rainbow asked, moving to Applebloom's now vacant seat, closer to her marefriend.

"An' here Ah though they were synonymous, silly me." Applejack felt a hoof wrap around her own.

* * *

><p>The violet eyed pony pushed the exhausted earth mare onto the bed, crawling on top of Applejack and delicately removing the Stetson, placing it on the nightstand, after all it was the earth mare's most prized possession. The day the feathered flyer treated that hat rudely was the day she'd kill herself. A humorous remark crossed her lips as she covered her Daring Doo book with the thing, mainly in the line of the adventurer averting her eyes to such an intimate moment. Applejack was far too tired to really process whatever it was the pegasus had said.<p>

Dash breathed directly into the farm mare's ear a few times, loving just how much squirming it provoked. "Wow, you're really into this tonight aren't ya?" Her face was hovering an inch above the blonde's, wings unfurled and standing erect.

Applejack, yawning, glared at Rainbow in annoyance. "Could'ya just keep your mouth shut for this?" she groaned, stretching across the mattress. She couldn't remember the last time the lumpy old thing felt so heavenly, or the blanket so soft and inviting.

"Actually that would take away _a lot_ of the fun." She began kissing the green-eyed pony's stomach, listening to the ever-decreasing sound of her moans, practically music to her ears. She was beginning to get excited herself, her own hoof traveling to between her back limbs. She couldn't wait to get to what was her second favorite part of the routine. Moving a centimeter at a time, Dash took forever to separate Applejack's thighs and come to the targeted area. Licking, sucking, nibbling; a nice mix of all three had her occupied, but it was something she had grown used to, along with the taste of the act. Immediately however she noticed something wasn't right.

Where was the spastic bucking of AJ's hips into her face, or the grinding against the bed, or even the hooves pushing on the back of her head? Most importantly where were those sounds of pure bliss that always filled her ears during these moments? A fear crept into her brain as she looked up over the farm mare's small stomach. _Have I lost my touch overnight? _Dash couldn't decide if she was relieved or annoyed at the sight of the softly snoring orange mare, on one hoof it wasn't an insult. Applejack had worked herself to the bone all day and had constantly been fighting sleep all evening. But it was a little sad knowing that during this of all things she had fallen asleep.

Temptation to awake her marefriend and start an argument over this, but she fought it and shrugged. There was always tomorrow night, and she'd make sure  
>Applejack would stay conscious for all of it. Until then all she could do was lay beside the earth pony and sleep. "You owe me," Dash whispered, biting the edge of the comforter and dragging it over her marefriend's sleeping form. The farmer quickly snuggled up with the blanket, muttering what could possibly have been thanks, though it sure didn't sound like one.<p>

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The pegasus replied nonetheless, preparing to loop her arms around the earth mare in her usual fashion. "Nothing left to do but sleep I guess." A minute from trapping one of her forelimbs under Applejack, Rainbow Dash jumped out of the bed. "Or a cold shower," she groaned, trotting towards the bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **To those offended, you were warned. To the friend that requested this, hope you liked it. Be wary though, any flames I get will be on your head. But hey, we'll roast marshmallows with them.

The next update will be a bit more lighthearted, and I do have a planned little arc coming up that may be formed as a separate story entirely.

Onto my personal little moments, I just finished watching _Power Ranger Time Force _and all I have to say is poor Wes. Also _Dead Space _is quite freaky with the lights off and volume high, plus everything that happens in the game is religion's fault, so yay!

One last thing I'd like to say is rest in peace John Ritter, your seventies escapades as Jack Tripper always bring a smile to my face.


	8. Dinner With Oranges

**Dinner with Oranges **

* * *

><p>Since the beginning of their relationship, Applejack has always had one small fear: whether they would be congratulated or hated. Granny Smith, who Rainbow believed had such a wild energy about her that she must've experimented around back in her heyday, took the news with a grain of salt. Not that it was over her granddaughter's sexuality, more that it was the pony she had fallen in love with. The old mare didn't make a fuss over it, and Dash would like to thank they'd reached a mutual understanding. Big Macintosh and full-of-innocence Applebloom had no change of opinion on their sister either.<p>

One of the major differences between them was Rainbow Dash's lack of concern over what ponies thought of her. She had no anxiety over what shame she might've brought to her family name, never did anyway. She didn't give a flying buck about the opinions of her parents, she was happy and that was all she needed. Applejack felt a little sorry over that, family was a big aspect of the farm mare's life and she believed everypony needed it in some way or another. And while her immediate family had no qualms, Dash hadn't heard much about the other hundred or so members. Nothing from Cousins Braeburn or Applefritter or Applebumpkin or anypony else, not even on Hearth's Warming.

Sitting at this dinner table, with its blindingly white cloth and glistening silverware, the pegasus did her best to fit in. This area reminded her of the dining hall at her academy, only smaller. Applejack sat to her left a few yards away, an exaggeration of course, but not much of one. How was it this earth mare talked her into eating at her Aunt and Uncle Orange's apartment? After the mention of having to go to Manehattan for a night it all became fuzzy. Dash had been looking for a reason to visit the bustling city, not for its beauty or cultures, but because of a concert she had been looking forward to for what had been months.

"Ya had to drag me to this, didn't you?" she whined, not bothering to whisper. A room this size, she'd have to yell for everypony to hear her.

Applejack turned to her, amazed at how loud she had been. "Auntie Orange was my father's sister, it's important that she meets ya. 'Sides this ain't supposed ta be fun."

Hope, "Then why don't we leave? There's a concert going on a few blocks from here that I've been dying to see!" Dash nearly fell out of the chair, praying for an answer she knew she wouldn't get.

"Not this again Rainbow! Ya know Ah'd love ta go see _Huey Lewis and The Mules, _but family comes first." The turquoise pony sunk back into the chair, defeated.

"Applejack dear, is everything to your liking?" Mrs. Orange had shouted from the end of the table.

AJ cleared her throat, "Yes ma'am, everything is absolutely scrumptious!" she replied in a voice that lacked what Dash considered to be a cute little country drawl, this was only one of the many odd things Applejack was doing to disguise her actual nature. Her hair had been styled so oddly, curled and wrapping around the top of her head, mimicking that of her aunt, it looked way too complicated to manage and took away her natural beauty.

"Good! Tell us Miss Dash, how long have you and our niece been . . . _dating_?" the tone and emphasis she put on dating made both the pegasus and her marefriend's skin shiver, it sounded so calm and yet so malicious and insulting. From the looks and tones, Dash could only assume these two weren't comfortable around fillyfoolers, even if one of them happened to be their niece.

"It's been about ten months, almost a year." Rainbow turned to Applejack, surprised over how long it had been since they threw each other through a barn wall and started making out.

"And how did you two meet?" asked Mr. Orange, looking over the head of a unicorn that was slicing his food.

"Well we've known each other since . . ." Applejack cleared her throat yet again, straining to keep away what she considered her unsophisticated accent. "We wrote to each other as fillies, but I first met Rainbow after she . . . graduated flight school and moved to Ponyville." The green eyed pony glanced at the pegasus, whose mouth had dropped to the table at the sound of her lie.

"Graduated?" Dash mouthed silently, unable to distinguish what hurt more: her marefriend being ashamed of her, or the fact that the Element of Honesty was able to lie so easily about it. Actually it had to be the former, Applejack had been demonstrating just how great of a liar she could be all night, another metaphorical log in the fire wasn't much of a surprise.

"Please," AJ mouthed back, eyes pleading. Her pride should've come first, it usually did, but somewhere down the road she must've turned into a big softy because the pegasus just choked back her offense and nodded.

"Uh . . . yeah, after I graduated I decided to leave Cloudsdale. Applejack and I were pen pals and I decided to look her up in Ponyville." Suddenly missing _Huey Lewis and The Mules_ wasn't the worst disappointment of the night. The fact that her marefriend was embarrassed by her topped that little concert so effortlessly.

"Thank you," Applejack mouthed, staring at the floor in self-disgust. Rainbow truly couldn't blame her for that.

"And you said you were captain of the weather team, isn't that a little wasteful of your education?" Aunt Orange gave a look that suggested she was suspicious of the pegasus.

"I never thought so, but maybe you should ask Applejack." Dash gave her marefriend an angry glare, that usual spark and enthusiasm had vanished. "What do you think Applejack, is being a weather captain only for stupid little dropouts?"

Applejack squirmed in her seat as all eyes fell upon her, "Surely there's a lot of work into runnin' an entire town's weather, but Ah . . . I have no place in sayin' how much of an education one needs to do the job right!" Dash was amazed at how well she'd avoided a direct answer, the pegasus would've been so proud under regular circumstances.

"Yes, what an . . . informing answer!" Uncle Orange said, trying to appear as though he understood her point of view.

Applejack desperately wanted to change the subject, lest she get Rainbow even more infuriated with her. Her eyes dart over the room, looking for the slightest spark of an idea. She just kept coming back to her marefriend, sad and trapped in deep thoughts a few feet away. "Of course Dash isn't always goin' ta be a weather captain, someday she'll be a member of the Wonderbolts!" she yelled enthusiastically, bringing the winged pony out of her mind. "Ya ain't never seen anypony that could fly half as good as RD!" That high-class pronunciation had disappeared in the excitement and it brightens Dash up, though Aunt Orange was cringing over it.

"Well, let us know how that goes Miss Dash," Uncle Orange took another bite out of his food, some French dish that she couldn't pronounce if she had a thousand years to try. Silence followed for an uncomfortably long amount of time as no pony had much to say, except for Rainbow, but anything that came to mind would not have been appropriate in front of present company. For yet another time in her life she was biting her tongue, and it reminded her just why she detested it so much. After this dinner was over she vowed to never think before she spoke ever again, starting with what she thought of all of Applejack's little lies.

_Is dying of boredom a real thing? _The pegasus questioned, certain she'd find out soon enough.

"How is young Applebloom, I haven't heard from her in ages?" one asked, neither were paying enough attention at this point to really differentiate.

"Oh she's fine," a short answer from Applejack.

"You're careful not to influence her, right? Such a young filly is so susceptible to those around her. We wouldn't want the poor thing getting confused."

There was an incredibly annoying grating sound coming from somewhere close, it was the only thing the turquoise pony could hear. Looking left and right for the source, she soon realized it was coming from inside her mouth. Teeth grinding, muscles tensing, she had to find an excuse to exit the room before she lost it. And how could Applejack just sit there and take this, wasn't she offended? Sure this was her aunt, but even with family one had to draw the line every once and awhile.

"Ya know what!" AJ slammed her hoof onto the table, making everypony jump in fright. "Ah'm sure whatever you've taught her is plenty worse than what we have Aunt Orange. And Ah'm not "confused", Dash makes me happy an' I was really hopin' that'd you'd see that." Applejack, trembling in anger and on the verge of tears, pushed away from the table and got to her hooves, trotting out of the room into the hall and towards the front door. She closed it shut with her back limbs like she was bucking an apple tree.

"Thank Celestia for that because I gotta say I was one second from jumping onto this table and tackling one of you two, I'm not sure which. I really hadn't thought that far ahead. Probably you," she gestured toward the colt with the shocked expression plastered on his snout. "Ah hay, I'd probably come after you next." She turned toward Mrs. Orange, who had the spitting image of surprise. "This was . . . something, food was good at least." Dash followed her girlfriend's example and left the room with a smile that stressed her lips and cheeks. She was tempted to open a wing and knock over a vase on the way out, but she fought it and took the satisfaction in so calmly walking away.

Applejack sat on the stone sidewalk outside the apartment building, wiping at her eyes and sniffling. Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway and remained unnoticed, certain the farm mare wouldn't want to be seen like this. "Outta the way!" an impatient unicorn barked, shoving her forward. Applejack turned, a look of dread as she picked herself up and dusted herself off.

"Hey ya sugarcube, what'cha doin' out here?" she asked, as if nothing had happened.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah've had better days, but Ah've also had worse."

"Pretend you're me, for just one second, and tell me. Are you okay?" Dash repeated, keeping her violet eyes fixed on Applejack.

"No, Ah'm not fine alright!" she shouted, throwing her forelimbs in the air. "They're the only family on my father's side that Ah ever see an' Ah just yelled at them!" pressing her back against the building, she slid back down to the ground and cradled her head. "Now Ah have to go back in an' apologize." Rainbow sat a centimeter away from Applejack, watching as ponies crossed in front of them, some entering the building, others stopping long enough to stare and imagine themselves living there.

"I just told your uncle I was planning to jump onto the table and tackle him." Dash said, breaking their silence. Applejack lifted her heat from her hooves and smiled. "And then I said I'd save some for your aunt." she started laughing, which sounded like music to the feathered pony's ears. In fact it really did sound like music, she could hear a guitar and drums and faint cheering. Maybe it was the city, perhaps it held some magical quality. Or – and this took the pegasus awhile to consider – maybe it was the music hall a few blocks down the hill. "Listen, I love you, more than I've ever loved anything. But if you make me go back in there for even a second, I will dump your flank faster than I can clear a sky." She teased, placing a forelimb around Applejack's shoulder.

"Ya still love me, even after Ah put you through that?"

"Yep," Dash smiled, expecting a compliment or reward of some kind.

"Sorry to tell ya this Rainbow, but Ah think ya might be missin' a few bulbs."

"Was that some country way of calling me stupid?" Applejack nodded, grinning. "I guess I have to be to stay with you." A few more minutes of laughing, both ponies looked at the door, expecting one of the Oranges to come walking out. Rainbow remembered the lie about her graduation, but for some reason the anger and hurt she'd experienced was drab compared to how happy she was. It wasn't worth the argument it'd cause.

"For Pete's sake, what did Ah do ta my mane?" the earth mare moaned, placing her hooves at the top of her head.

"Massacred it?"

"Suppose Ah did," in one motion the hair fell, curling just above her shoulders.

"Sexy," Dash complimented, swiping away the blond hair in her eyes.

"Thanks," she blushed. "Wish Ah had my hat, Ah feel so naked without it."

"Well now you're just torturing me." Dash presented a red hair tie to Applejack, who looked down in surprise.

"Ugh, where'd ya –"

"I hoped you'd come to your senses before we got here and tucked it under my wing." A kiss on the cheek as the green eyed pony took the tie.

"Ya know me all too well RD," she muttered, fixing her mane until it became recognizable to the pegasus. "So now what, we can't just sit here all night?"

Music, how could she not hear it? Dash wasn't even an inch away and she could hear it clear as day. "C'mon," she groaned, climbing to her hooves. "I brought enough bits for an amazing seat at a concert, or two decent ones."

"Do ya really feel up for it?"

"Right now I just want to take my marefriend out to a show, and I always wanted to hook up with somepony at a concert and have meaningless sex." Dash shrugged, holding a hoof out for Applejack.

"Lucky me," she stated as she was pulled off the ground.

"I didn't say it was going to be you." They trotted off down the hill, laughing and shoving each other.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Again, way too much _Back to the Future_, but I got a stupid pony band name out of it. _Huey Lewis and the Mules, _really? Speaking of which, eight chapters. Only eighty more before I can make another reference!

Hope this wasn't too preachy for anyone, believe me I wasn't trying to teach the fears of homosexuality. I can only assume that if you've read this far than you don't have a problem with lesbianism, or at least lesbianism involving cartoon ponies.

Onto my small rants that you can and probably have skipped, I would just like to take a moment to say happy Saint Patrick's Day (which has passed since I published this). Also I've been hearing a lot about the endings to that _Mass Effect 3 _game, sorry to those who feel cheated. To everyone else that, like me, has never played the game, show sympathy to those that have.


	9. Meeting Her Parents

**Meeting Her Parents**

* * *

><p>Certainly polar opposites in this regard, Applejack had loved her parents dearly and they passed away shortly after the birth of Applebloom. Rainbow Dash never cared for her parents, yet they were alive, living extravagantly somewhere in Los Pegasus. Or perhaps they had moved in the six years she hadn't contacted them. It showed just how unfortunate life could be and how easily it could be torn away, something the farm mare and her siblings knew better than most ponies.<p>

In the many years she's lived there Rainbow had never stopped by this area of Ponyville. In fact she can't remember ever being to a cemetery in general, certainly an oddity now that she noticed it. Death had never been a part of her life, something she had taken for granted. Walking along this stone path, between the grass and the trees and the hundreds of cement tombstones, she's embarrassed that the first things to come to mind were the zombie movies she'd seen over the years. She could vividly imagine hooves poking through the ground, the moaning for brains coming from their rotten teeth and drooling mouths.

Dash shook the image from her head and instead turned her mind to Applejack, the pony who had an actual reason to be here. The pegasus recalled being shook awake early in the morning when the first signs of sunrise were creeping over the field, and how her marefriend begged her to come to her parents gravesite with the most out of place smile on her lips. Rushed through the shortest shower of her life and not given the required time to fix her frizzled bed mane, Dash marched out of the farm house in annoyance, dripping water with only two of her six colors neatly organized.

Freezing, she tried to focus on the scenery of the cemetery in an attempt to keep from shivering. The trim grass so green, the shining bronze gate, the symmetrical statues of pegasi, it reminded her of Rarity's boutique, so neat and proper, orderly in many senses of the word. For some reason she'd always imagined graveyards to have grey skies and dead trees, but it was actually a great day. Clear and warm, a cool breeze that gently blew the tree limbs back and forth, making the leaves rustle and produce a calming little noise that was pleasant on the ears. Even though she was in control of Ponyville's weather it surprised her. Dash wondered if all graveyards were like this, rather than the ones portrayed in films or books. She'd never imagined a place associated with death and sadness to be so clean, bright, and shiny. While it no doubt made the place look nice she couldn't get past how creepy it was, a mask of organization hiding the true nature of this place.

"Ya sure you're okay?" Applejack questioned, attempting to look over her saddlebag at the spectral pegasus. "Ah'd understand if ya wanted to wait at the gate."

"I'll be fine, it's not like this is the first time I've been to a cemetery." She lied, wondering if she made the right choice in denying Applejack's offer.

"Promise ya won't make fun of me."

"You don't think I'd do that, do you?" Rainbow asked, offended that her marefriend would even think of such a cruel notion.

"Course not, but it's a little embarrassin', talkin' to a grave an' all. Ah don't want ya thinkin' Ah'm goin' crazy." Applejack turned off the stone path and onto the damp grass, squishing with each hoof pressed on it.

"Well I won't, alright." She pouted, following the earth mare's direction.

"Sorry," Rainbow inspected every cutie mark and word carved into the tombstones as they passed by, soon growing repetitive. The loving fathers and mothers next to the beloved husbands and wives; where was the variety, the intimate little touches? Quickly Dash turned to guessing what had done them in. Some died because of the lives they led, some by pure misfortune and accidents, and many of an illness that proved too much. Few of them she imagined passing peacefully in sleep, loved ones from the full lives the lived surrounding them. She hoped it was the disturbed sleep and not some bleak output she'd developed overnight. "You're bein' awful quiet back there, sure you're alright? If ya can't –"

"I'm starting to think you want me to leave." She interrupted, speeding to keep up. "It was your idea to wake me up and beg me to come with in the first place."

"Ah do want you here, an' Ah appreciate you comin' with me."

"Why didn't Applebloom and Big Mac come with?"

"We all take turns, that way we can speak about anythin' without feelin' embarrassed."

_So why bring me?_ Rainbow questioned, matching every move her marefriend made as they navigated the burial place. The glare from a large granite headstone, shined so thoroughly it doubled as a mirror, blinded Rainbow. Dazed, she was forced to stop where she stood, watching spots dance from behind her eyelids.

"Here we are," Applejack spoke from a distance. The pegasus wasn't quite sure what she'd see as she rubbed at her eyes, if her parents graves were more flamboyant or extravagant than all the others or if they were just part of the majority of slabs surrounding them. Finally regaining sight, the differences were major. The left one, Applejack's mother's, was similar to the tombstones they'd passed on the way. The only thing that stuck out was the stone carved apple attached to the top, something that seemed to be popular in this row.

"Are these all . . ." she lost her train of thought as she started counting the number of cement fruits.

"This is the Apple family gravesite, mah great-grandfather was buried here ages ago, an' my great-grandmother, an' my grandpa. Every member of mah family is goin' ta be buried here when they . . . pass." Dash's skin crawled under her coat at the euphemism, even more when she considered the aspect of knowing where one would be buried. Some dark and curious part of her wondered if she'd be lying six feet under in this very spot someday, right next to Applejack. A weird hope, but it felt somewhat romantic in origin, if in a macabre way. "RD, ya okay? You're lookin' mighty pale."

"Yeah, fine . . . I'm fine." Dash stated, trying to convince herself more than Applejack. The grave on her left, her father's, was a much larger version of the granite that had blinded her a moment ago. Among the five graves this was the only one that felt like it didn't belong, despite the same carved rock welded to the top. "What's the story here?"

"Oh, this was the only way Auntie an' Uncle Orange would let him be buried in Ponyville."

Rainbow nodded, certainly aware of the Orange family nature. "Do you know where you're going to be buried?" she asked, still stuck in that dark curiosity. Applejack nodded her head, pointing to a flat untouched space of ground just a few feet away.

"Well, meet the folks." She gestured to the headstones before them while removing her Stetson, pressing it deep into her saddlebag. "Mom, Pop, this is my . . . well . . ." it was clear the earth pony was going to struggle giving that statement a concrete finish. The pegasus found it odd for the farm mare to have such difficulty introducing her to two large pieces of stone, but she sat patiently and waited for Applejack to continue. It was a nice reminder of how she acted when they were coming out to their friends, the nervous eyes, the gulping, the stiffening of muscles. "This is mah marefriend, Rainbow Dash." She gently pushed Dash forward a bit, as if showing her off.

"Um, hello." With the dedication Applejack emitted, Dash was scared the graves might actually respond.

"We were pen pals back when Ah was Applebloom's age, remember how excited Ah got when the Mail Mare showed up?" the turquoise pony believed that was meant for her ears rather than her parents. She could recall her own excitement every morning when the mail was delivered, and the disappointment when she found out she'd only receive a letter once a week.

"She moved to Ponyville a few years back an' we just kind of . . . fell for each other." Rainbow would have loved that abridged version when she was wasting all that time admiring from afar, would have saved them both time and harm. She glanced to Applejack, who was trying her best not to get too emotional. While the farm mare was great at a lot of things, holding back such feelings was not one of them. "Don't look at me like that!" she ordered, voice cracking with every word.

"Like what?"

"Like Ah'm crazy,"

"I don't think you're crazy."

"Sure ya don't." She laughed, wiping at her watery eyes.

"I don't AJ!" the winged equine yelled, growing defensive. It proved enough to shut Applejack up and gave Rainbow a nice stab of remorse. "Ask them . . . ask them if they like me." Dash instructed, running her hoof around one of the little stone apples. A smooth finish, perfectly round.

"Ya make me happy, an' that'd make them happy." She immediately replied, "My pop would've loved you! He never knew when ta keep his mouth shut." The thought of her father made her smile and chuckle, something she desperately needed at that moment. At the same time it hurt, like her insides were being twisted. "He was always surprised when ponies told him he was rude. He never meant ta be, he just didn't know any better. Mom always . . ." Wave upon wave of memories overcome her thoughts, like a floodgate had been opened deep within her mind.

A massive headache and the inability to speak, yet again her eyes began to water and all she can think about is how much she regrets bringing Dash along to see this. She should've listened to her pride and let the pegasus sleep in for the morning, but it was important that the mare visited with her at least once before – "Are you okay?" Dash asked, interrupting Applejack's train of thought.

_What a stupid question, do Ah look alright? _Applejack thought, a surge of guilt quickly following. A mental debate ensued on whether or not to be honest with her marefriend. It was easy to make a decision, especially knowing how bad of a liar she was. Applejack took a few deep breaths and calmed herself before attempting to explain. "Sometimes Ah think Ah am, okay ya know? Ah always think Ah can come here and talk ta them without my voice crackin' or my eyes waterin', like Ah've finally moved on an' accepted it. But whenever Ah see these two stones, see their names inscribed into them, it . . ." she took a moment to try and even out her voice, "It feels like Ah've just lost them, all over again."

The mare starts crying, and sadly there was no rain to blame it on. Her hat had been shoved inside her saddlebag and was out of quick reach, unable to cover her face long enough for her to salvage any shred of composure. Bad enough this had to happen in such a public place, it had to occur in front of the pegasus. Evidently her misery wasn't complete without humiliation. "An' Ah hate it so much that Ah never want ta come back here!" she sobbed. How did it even come to this? One moment she was smiling and talking about her father, and the next she just broke down and began to weep. It was unnatural, especially for her. Maybe it was the vocalization of how visiting this place made her feel, this had been the first time she'd ever told anypony about them, related or otherwise.

Dash hesitated, uncertain over whether to look away and pretend not to notice, which Applejack probably would have preferred, or to try and soothe her. Fighting discomfort, she wraps her hooves around the earth mare's neck and pulls her into a tight embrace. The steady heartbeat of the pegasus filled her ears as she pressed her head against Dash's chest. Rainbow laid her chin on top of Applejack's head, continually stroking the back of her mane. Wings unfurl, wrapping themselves around the farm mare's body as best as they could.

Awkward at first, it was the only thing she could register, but slowly the feathered pony grew more comfortable. Each stroke of the head, every little whisper into her ear, they started to feel second nature, instinctive even. She'd assumed such affection would've calmed the earth mare, if only for the moment, but instead it had the opposite reaction. The sobbing increased, though the noise was muffled against her body. The worst part of this, for Rainbow, was the quivering and how it echoed throughout her own body.

Helplessness, such an infuriating concept for the violet eyed pony. She wanted to do so much more to ease her friend's sorrow, but aside from holding her close and wrapping her hooves and wings around the earth mare, she's drawing a blank. _What would you two do? _She stared at the headstones, hoping that an answer would pierce her thoughts. It doesn't, leaving her to repeat what she'd already been doing. Sun high, birds chirping, leaves rustling, and somewhere in Ponyville their friends were spending their afternoons doing far cheerier things, yet she wouldn't change places with any of them right now.

Strange, not one pony gives them a second glance, obviously in silent awareness of what was transpiring in the Apple family plots. Three other ponies were crying, but Applejack was the only one being held, so tightly that the farm mare thought she might break. With such little interest everypony displayed at them Dash wondered how often this happened in the graveyard, how many were brought to tears by simple stones, solaced by those close to them. "I'm right here AJ," she soothed, proud of how well she'd taken to this comforting thing. Emotions had never been the winged pony's strong suit, whether they were her own or of those surrounding her. "I'm right here." She repeated, glad to finally hear those sobs steadily decreasing.

"Ah'm sorry." Applejack murmured, keeping her head on the drenched and matted down coat of Rainbow Dash's.

"For what?" the spectral pegasus questioned, still stroking the back of the farm mare's head.

"For makin' ya tag along an' havin' to deal with me, Ah just . . . Ah just wanted you ta meet them. An' Ah know they're just two large pieces of stone, but aside from a hoof full of memories it's all Ah have left." She lifted her head, hoof wiping at her dry, tearstained eyes. "Ah have ta give ya credit for actin' so quickly when the waterworks started, Ah know how much ya hate cryin'."

"It's not that big of a deal," she lied, releasing Applejack from the constricting grip of her forelimbs and wings.

"Wrong, it means a lot. You're gonna get the greatest hoof rub when we get home." She promised, nuzzling the pegasus' snout. Dash leaned forward, clearly wanting to kiss Applejack, surprised when she's denied access from the farm mare's mouth. Instead her eyes open to see an orange hoof pressed against her lips. "Not here, 'kay? Ah promise you can kiss me all ya want after we leave, but not right now."

"That's fine." Rainbow smiled.

"Ah s'pose we should be moseyin' along soon, ya mind givin' me a minute alone with them?"

"No, I'll just go wait at the gate." She turned back to the bronze gates, aware that whatever was going to be said was strictly between the members of the Apple family, none of her business. "Take as long as you need, I don't mind waiting." Words she never believed she'd mean, or even say.

"Thanks sugarcube, Ah won't be much longer." She watched the turquoise pony trot to the end of the cemetery, planting her flank onto the ground outside and wiping at her soaked fur. Waiting another moment to be sure there were no other ponies within earshot, Applejack whispered to the two headstones in as hoarse a voice as she could manage. "Ah wanted you two ta meet her, because Ah love her. An' Ah'm more sure than ever that Ah'm goin' to spend the rest of my life with her." Dash noticed Applejack's staring eyes and waved. Applejack waived back, looking from her marefriend to her parents. "Ah've been mullin' tis over a lot lately, but this was jus' the push Ah needed. Ah'm . . . Ah'm goin' to ask her ta marry me an' Ah'm glad you two are the firsts ta know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Thanks to a friend who has experienced loss for giving me a rundown on what it feels like. I hope you read and enjoyed, and I am grateful for your support. I'd also like to thank those that have read this story and hope they continue to. It's joyous to see that this has made it to so many favorites and alerts!

See the exclamation marks I don't use that unless I'm absolutely serious.

These don't really feel like drabbles anymore, do they? Well I'm just gonna stick to short little chapters for a while, with a few references to this sprinkled out.


	10. It Can Be Cruel Sometimes

**It Can Be Cruel Sometimes**

* * *

><p>They're at it each other's throats again, yelling in the center of Ponyville for all of us to see. Rainbow Dash is practically ramming her head into the orange mare and I can only wonder how they've stayed together for so long. Applejack deserved much better than that brash, argumentative pegasus. She deserved somepony who would treat her like she deserved to be treated, somepony like me. But all I can do is watch and wait for the lovely farm mare to notice me hiding in a doorway.<p>

Somehow, I wasn't really certain, they'd gotten together. It was something they had kept between them, always avoiding a direct answer whenever I brought it up in conversation. It had something to do with those bruises on Rainbow's stomach and the bumps on Applejack's head, even if they tried to deny it. Apparently Dash had been pining for Applejack, just like I had . . . am, the difference was that she had been braver. She'd admitted her feelings to the lovely mare before I could and she'd won her affections, fair and square. It left me feeling like I'd missed my opportunity at happiness because I was too busy admiring from a distance.

It also made me feel like one of my closest friends had betrayed me, had purposely taken her from me for the hay of it. But that wasn't fair; Rainbow hadn't personally gone out of her way to date Applejack. She had feelings just like me, couldn't be helped, and I can't blame her for falling for Applejack. That nicely toned body earned from hours of farm work, those piercing green eyes, that lovely shaded coat and mane. AJ was the finest mare I'd ever laid eyes on, and it was only natural to assume she'd have other ponies, mare or not, feel the same way.

I thought that being one of her best friends would have made me different than all the rest, and I might've been right. The only thing I didn't consider was that maybe I wasn't the only friend with such deep affection for her. Maybe if I'd been more like Rainbow, more fearless, maybe it'd be me living on the farm with her, or visiting her Aunt and Uncle in Manehatten and going to some concert. Too many maybes made my head spin, like I'd just taken a ride on the world's fastest merry-go-round.

Applejack finally spots me and trots in my direction, with a smile that never stops melting my heart. I put on my own smile, fake as it is she never seems to see through my performance. "Hey ya, sugarcube!" heavenly seemed an ample description of how it made me feel.

"Hey," I reply, adding a happy tone that belied my actual emotions. After so long it seemed like I could switch to faux happiness in a heartbeat. "You and Dash fighting again?"

Applejack laughs, surprising me. "Yep," she giggled.

"Why are you laughing, doesn't yelling at each other get on your nerves?" I asked, my façade temporally fading in the confusion.

"Don't tell Dashie Ah told you this, but she's so adorable when her face gets all red."

'Adorable', did she ever use that word to describe me? I couldn't recall any instance, which was a painful enough blow to my already torn down ego. "If you say so," I shrug, walking down the road. I hear her hooves clopping on the sidewalk, following me from close behind. I'm not exactly sure how long they'll be together, but I can wait in the corner and offer whatever comfort I could when she broke it off with Dash, which she undoubtedly would. It was an ugly thought, but it gave me something to hope for. Try as they might I doubted they could maintain whatever relationship they'd managed. Too aggressive for their own good.

"Actually Ah've been wantin' to get somethin' off my chest for a while now, can you keep a secret?" it was a laughable question, could I keep a secret? I've managed to hide my awkward feelings for the past year, I'm sure whatever she has to tell me won't be any worse. She continued to stare at me with those bright, green orbs until I nod.

"Now this is serious, so Pinkie promise me you'll keep it under your hat."

I roll my eyes and place a hoof over one of them, "I Pinkie promise."

"Well Ah've had this . . . idea rollin' around in my mind for the past month or so, an' ya won't believe how big it is." From how dedicated she was to keeping this a secret, my excitement was cautiously skyrocketing. So many possibilities, but my mind is stuck in one particular space. Would it be a confession of reciprocated feelings of affection, or maybe a promising admittance of looming apathy towards Rainbow Dash. I really needed to get out of my head because her lips were moving but I heard absolutely nothing.

"Sorry, what'd ya say?"

"Ah . . . Ah'm gonna ask Rainbow ta marry me."

"Oh,"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Not everyone walks away happy, especially in matters of love.

First-person was a challenge to write, I've never really done it. But the appeal to write this as a mystery to which pony has a broken heart was too irresistible. Plus what better place to try out different styles of writing than a drabble collection?

I'm not too proud of how this came out though, each pony has specific personality traits and it was very constrictive to be vague.


	11. Taste of Chocolate and Rainbow

**Taste of Chocolate and Rainbow**

* * *

><p>There was something fantastic about walking around on payday with a saddlepack full of money, sadly the feeling often diminished with the first bit spent. Making their way through Ponyville's crowded shopping district, where it was almost impossible to keep from bumping into others, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared in amazement at the hundreds of trinkets before them. Or at least they had been before the earth mare's shocking revelation. Now the knick-knacks and thingamajigs were a hundred miles away.<p>

She'd thought she'd known Applejack inside and out, like nothing in the world could surprise her when it came to the earth mare. How could she overlook something as large as this for so many years? More importantly how could Applejack not tell her? She's left dumbfounded, flying two feet off the ground and somehow her mouth had still nearly dropped to the grass. It was like hearing your favorite song, one you believed you could quote verbatim, only to find you were missing an entire verse. Suddenly you wonder what else had escaped you when it was more than obvious, and in some cases it might even make you question your actions, minor or major.

"What do you mean you don't like chocolate?" the pegasus questioned, violet eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the farm pony. A few other ponies had the same expression as they moved by.

"Ah just never cared for it," she shrugged, "Ain't that big a deal."

Dash shook her head back and forth, multicolored mane swinging from side to side and hitting a colt in the face. "Yes it is, chocolate is like . . . almost as awesome as me!" she'd shouted, capturing the glances of ponies surrounding them. Applejack blushed and bid them all a good afternoon, hoping the incident would fade into obscurity.

"If ya'll say so," the orange mare trotted down the street with Rainbow close behind, disbelief in what she was hearing.

"Have you ever even tried it?" she asked, landing in front of Applejack before the mare could take another step.

"Course Ah have," she assured, quickly sidestepping Dash. "It'd be awful silly ta not like somethin' without even tryin' it." Yet again the lightning fast pegasus blocked her path. Applejack stepped to the left, an action Rainbow mimicked perfectly. The polychromatic pony continued to joyfully counter every step, waiting for the farm mare to grow tired of the repetitiveness. It resembled some peculiar dance, only without the music or rhythm. After the last display nopony really bothered to look, only moving on with their day. "Will ya please move?"

"No,"

"Really?"

"Really,"

AJ sighed, "What'll make you quit your fussin'?" she finally caved, knowing full well what was to follow.

The pegasus grinned her smug grin and glanced over her shoulder. "Wait here," She instructed, making and disappearing in a cloud of dust. Applejack coughed, eyes shutting tightly to avoid the risk of irritation. By the time she felt safe enough to open them Rainbow had returned with her hoof wrapped around a cardboard box. "These are chocolate malt balls." Dash explained, rattling one of the nosiest containers the farm mare had ever heard. "Try one, and then I'll let it go."

"Fine," Applejack reached for the box, surprised when Dash pulled it away.

"Open your mouth," the pegasus instructed, prying the package apart.

"You're feedin' me now?" she watched her marefriend dip a hoof into the box, pulling out a single piece of chocolate.

"Something like that I guess. Open your mouth." Rainbow repeated, holding it up to the farmer's snout and waving it back and forth, as if tantalizing her taste buds.

"You ever hear the expression "bite the hoof that feeds"?"

"No, but biting kind of turns me on." Applejack grimaced, annoyed with Rainbow's banter. "Open your mouth." Unenthusiastically, she obeyed, feeling like an idiot as she stood in the near-center of Ponyville with her mouth gaping. The spectral pony snickered at the sight, delighting in the little embarrassment her marefriend was no doubt experiencing. It was priceless, even more after Dash threw the malt into her own jaw and the look contorted into absolute confusion, mouth still wide.

"What're ya do –" immediately she's cut off by Rainbow Dash's lips mashing against her own. In surprise she tried to pull her head back, finding it impossible with a turquoise hoof holding her in place. She truly wanted to enjoy this, but the fear of revolting everypony with this display lingered in her mind. It wasn't there for very long though, something she had to give the pegasus props for. One could say a lot about Dash; narcissistic, hotheaded, brash, but none of that ever carried over when they were kissing. Rainbow was often generous and devoted to Applejack's own enjoyment, an attribute the farm mare was admittedly surprised over but never complained about.

She could feel the small ball of chocolate enter her mouth, followed by the spectral pony's tongue. Dash spent another few seconds nibbling on Applejack's lips before releasing her head and backing away. Eyes half open, the farm mare looked startled, muddled, and a little disappointed. Rainbow laughed at the expression, wiping her mouth and uttering a simple command. "Chew."

Applejack complied, biting on the malt that had somehow slipped her mind. Either the candy tasted of Rainbow's saliva or her tongue did, but the taste of pegasus and chocolate was heavenly. The farm mare wanted every piece of candy in that container to pass between their lips, to experience this joy over and over again. It was one of the oddest thoughts to ever cross her mind and yet she couldn't care more or less about it. The same could be said for the audience of ponies she had once been concerned over offending. Rainbow Dash had a knowing smile and the recognizable look of an approaching 'I told you so' speech, pouring half the cardboard container's content into her mouth. "Ah reckon it ain't as bad as Ah remembered." The earth pony shrugged, trotting down the street and hoping Dash wouldn't see just how much of a red hue her face had taken.

"Good right, now how do you feel about pop rocks?"

* * *

><p>AN: Something more lighthearted than the last few updates.

So I just found out I have mono, which means I'm tired all the time. Updates will probably be erratic and these may begin to get shorter in length, understanding is appreciated. Also I just finished _Six Feet Under _and without spoiling anything I have to say it was one of the best series finales I'd ever seen. Those that have seen the show know exactly what I'm talking about.


	12. I'm Not Saying I Miss You, but

**I'm Not Saying I Miss You, but . . .**

* * *

><p><em>Hey Applejack,<em>

_ I know you've only been in Canterlot for two days, but it's SO boring in Ponyville without the only other athlete around. Anyway, I just wanted to check in. I'm helping Big Mac take care of the farm like you asked, and Applebloom is sticking to her bedtime. How's the stand going? I know if anypony can sell all those apples, it's you. Just don't overwork yourself, I know how you can get. And enjoy the peace and quiet while you have it, Celestia knows our small town never offers much of either, not that I'm complaining. _

_Don't think I'm lonely or anything because I'm sending you a letter, it's just that I really need to wrap my hooves around something and a pillow doesn't cut it. Besides that I'm good, hardly even notice you're gone. But Granny Smith misses you and I think you should get back here as fast as you can. Y'know, so she stops complaining and stuff. Plus Rarity wants to unveil her latest "masterpiece" and she says she can't until you get back, and I have this new trick I just perfected that you need to see, it's pretty awesome. _

_I don't know if you got this quickly, Spike bragged that it'd be delivered to your room before tonight. It was either use him or Derpy the mail mare, and you know how she is with letters. Remember last Hearts and Hooves Day when that package showed up at the farm by accident? Twilight's spellchecking this for me (did you know there's no E in grammar?) so I'm not going to go into details over it, but the look on your face was absolutely priceless! You were so angry and made such a fuss at that post office; I'm surprised Derps wasn't fired. Too bad, we really could have put that thing to good use. Spike's begging me to tell them more but I'll leave it at that. I can hear your sigh of relief all the way from Canterlot. _

_If he's right and you're reading this before bed, I just wanted to say things are going fine and we all can't wait for you to come home. Write me back, if you have the time that is, but if not I'll see you in four days. Geez, I haven't written you a letter since we were quill fillies. It's still hard to believe how much has changed since then. I never thought I'd be one of the elements of harmony, or that I'd share a room and bed with you. Still not a member of the Wonderbolts though, I really need to get on that. _

_Stay safe and hurry home, the bed's cold without you. _

_I Love You Sugarcube,_

_Dash._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Rainbow,<em>

_I miss you too._

_Sincerely,_

_Applejack._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Applejack, <em>

_Was that really it? _

_Annoyed,_

_Dash._

* * *

><p>Something short, just thought this needed an update. Season 2 is over, but the music was nice. Now that ponies are taking a break I can get back to the real world for awhile. I think my cat died of starvation, forgot to feed it.<p>

Kidding, of course. Anyway a big chapter will be coming soon, I just need to work up the dedication (and energy) to write it.


	13. Teaching

**Teaching**

**Due to confusion that's plaguing the reviews, I wanted to say that the point of forming a drabbles collection (which it was intended as) was so I wasn't restricted to continuity. The whole Applejack proposing to Rainbow was more of hints at the future, though I may write about it. **

**For instance there may be some alternate reality chapters up soon (hint).**

**Again, I apologize for not being clearer when writing this. It can be taken as a flashback or as a separate piece of fluff. Your choice. **

* * *

><p><em>What's taking her so long?<em> Rainbow thought, standing outside Applejack's hotel room with a yellow braid wrapped around her hoof. After pulling off a perfect rainboom at the wedding she was bursting with pride, even more than usual. She felt like she could do anything and everything. That was, everything but tie her mane, and while Rarity was the most trained of her friends when it came to appearances, Applejack was the only pony she trusted to touch her mane. Besides, it was a nice excuse to get a second alone with the mare. "I need you to fix my mane, again!" the pegasus shouted, pressing her forehead against the door. She could hear music playing faintly on the other side, a slow song that made her anxious. _Is she . . . dancing with somepony?_

Unable to control her curiosity, Dash pressed lightly on the door, peaking in through the small crack. To her surprise, Applejack was indeed dancing, swaying across the room in awkward little steps, balancing on her hind legs with that green and red gown moving with her. She was missing something though, something the feathered pony immediately picked up on. There was no partner, no pony for her to follow or lead with. Rainbow found it funny and cute, if a little sad. She stood there for a minute, watching as the farm mare stared into what the pegasus guessed was the eyes of the non-existent pony. With every little tumble Applejack mouthed the word 'shoot', never making an actual sound.

Rainbow snickered before fully opening the door. "Hey AJ, you enjoying yourself?" the earth mare turned in fright, turning so red that she began to look like an apple. "Sheesh, you were just dancing, not like I walked in on you . . ." Dash hushed, finding herself returning to the thoughts she had when she was alone.

"There's a lil' somethin' called privacy Rainbow." Applejack shoved past Dash and shut the door.

"You know me better than that AJ, and again, it was just dancing. Don't get me wrong though, it's a stretch to even call it that." Dash walked to the record player, lifting the needle and halting the music. "What the hay are you doing anyway, dancing in here all alone? I mean, there are plenty of ponies looking for a dance partner." Rainbow considered suggesting herself, sure that she could play it off as a joke if it scared the poor farm girl, but shook her head and moved away from the part of her brain that craved Applejack.

"It's none of yer business!" Barked Applejack, startling the pegasus.

"Has that ever stopped you from telling me something?" she asked, giving the farm mare with the swirly blond mane an intense gaze. Applejack matched it with the same fierce eyes. Neither could take the other seriously in their dresses, taking away all intimidation and prolonging their staring competition. Knowing this was going absolutely nowhere, Rainbow pulled out her final trick, her favorite. "You know I came here to ask for your help, not learn how much you don't trust me. Forget it, I'll just ask Rarity." The pegasus pushed the earth mare aside and opened the door, waiting for the guilt to work into her friend's mind.

"Rainbow wait," Applejack sighed, pulling Dash away from the door. "Give me the braid and sit down." She ordered, taking the yellow tie from Dash. The winged pony smiled, still impressed with the guilt trip play, even after a dozen uses. Twisting her mane, Rainbow did as instructed, feeling the tugs and pulls as Applejack worked from behind.

"So, why were you dancing in here all alone?"

"Ah was practicin'."

"For what, it's not like you need to. I've seen you dance Applejack, you're fantastic." Rainbow stiffened up, afraid she'd just given too big of a compliment to her crush. "Except for whatever it was that I saw you doing a second ago, that was horrific."

Applejack chuckled, "Yeah, Ah suppose that was a heck of an eyesore. Don't go misunderstandin' me Rainbow, Ah know how ta dance. You won't find a better line dancer this side of Equestria, but when it comes to slow-dancin' Ah have four left hooves. All finished." She gave Dash's hair a firm tug before rising from her flank.

"I could give you a quick lesson, if you'd like." Rainbow nominated, holding back a hopeful stare. Applejack busted up, gripping her sides as her eyes watered, acting a bit melodramatic in the pegasus' opinion. "I'm serious, you wanna learn to dance or what?"

"An' you know how ta slow dance?" the orange mare asked, calming down. Rainbow Dash nodded, a bit embarrassed.

"It's no big deal, just a nice balance and a steady partner. Last chance, yes or no?"

"Fine, show me." Dash lit up in excitement but quickly pulled it back, careful not to seem too gleeful. She walked back over to the record player, pressing the needle down and returning to Applejack's side. "Okay, so which type do you want to learn? The nuzzling, four hooves one or the balance on two legs one?"

"Two, Ah don't want a stranger that close ta mah face."

"Alright, stand up." She instructed, working onto her own hind legs. "Now the trick to this style is pure balance, don't be afraid to lean on your partner for support, that's part of the job." Rainbow wrapped her fore arms around Applejack, feeling the leather saddle of her gown that rested a few inches above her tail. Apple bucking sure had its benefits, with the firm and skinny stomach Applejack had. "You alright?" the pegasus asked, sensing the earth pony stiffen up.

"Yeah, Ah'm fine . . ."

"Now I'll take the part of the stallion, all you have to do is wrap your hooves around my shoulder and follow. I'm going to do a simple sidestep and lead you around." Applejack did as she was told. Next is distance. It says a lot, for instance if the stallion – or mare – you're dancing with is just a friend then you'll be at least a foot apart. Like how we are right now." Applejack glanced at the space between them, nodding as the information went into her ears. "The closer you are, the more serious you are." Rainbow pulled the tense mare closer, bodies pressed tight together. "It can mean a kiss, or something . . . more intimate." Applejack blushed, again turning red, and looked down at their hooves, moving in rhythm against the carpet.

What did Applejack taste like, was her tongue smooth or rough, questions Dash had spent hours wondering. The answers were mere inches away, and yet too dangerous to reach for. "It's fine to look at your hooves when you start, but once you have the rhythm you should focus on your partner." Rainbow moved her around the room in large counter clockwise pattern. "That's about it, simple." Rainbow Dash squeezed Applejack just a little tighter, producing a small stutter from the mare. She stared into Applejack's emerald orbs whenever the farm mare glanced up from the ground, hoping for some information or clarity.

Applejack looked at the clock above the door, unwrapping from Rainbow's shoulders. "We should head downstairs, Twilight would be pretty mad if we missed her brother's first dance with his wife." She explained, flashing a nervous smile. Dash understood, aware that she couldn't hold onto the pretty mare any longer. Two minutes, that was all she was given, a hundred and twenty measly seconds that went by in one. She released Applejack, falling back onto all four hooves. The farm mare cut the music. "Thanks, Ah appreciate ya takin' the time ta help me. Yer a great friend Rainbow."

"Yeah, you too." Rainbow replied, doing her best to not look disappointed.

"Ready ta go?" the orange mare asked, standing by the door.

"Can you give me a minute, I mean if you trust me alone in your room."

"Course, jus' shut the lights off on yer way out, kay?" Rainbow nodded, watching as Applejack walked out the door.

So close, and yet she was too afraid to act. The pegasus felt like she could punch through the wall in frustration, and that's just what she tried. A decent little dent in the wall and an aching hoof was all that remained of her outburst, a private moment she'd keep to herself. Still, she at least got a dance out of it, something she had only dreamed of. It took a bit of the sting away. Groaning and rubbing at her somewhat bruised hoof, Dash glared at the record player. "This is all your fault." She growled, shutting off the room light and slamming the door so roughly that it swung back open, raising her anger.

Now if only she got some hint from Applejack, something other than nervous squeaking, trembling, and lack of eye contact. Rainbow gently closed the door, mumbling to herself that this was Twilight's night, it was her brother's wedding and it would be all smiles and games that most ponies probably wouldn't remember the next morning. But the moment she just shared with AJ would be burned into her memory for fond reflection, no matter how much partying she'd be doing over the next few hours.

* * *

><p>AN: More soon.


End file.
